A civil society organisation, the Association for Good Governance Advocacy (AGGA), has raised concerns over the proposed 2.38-kilometre Oba Adesida/Oja-Oba Flyover in Akure, describing the project as lacking transparency and calling on the Ondo State Government to disclose details of the contract.
In a statement issued by its State Coordinator, Mrs. Folakemi Benson, the group alleged that the flyover project, which it claimed is valued at N134 billion, was awarded to Bulletine Construction Company, a firm it said was previously blacklisted by the Federal Government over the alleged poor execution of a road contract.
According to AGGA, Bulletine Construction Company was among the firms engaged in the dualisation of the 200-kilometre Abuja-Lokoja Road during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The group alleged that the company handled the 47-kilometre Abaji-Koton Karfe section of the highway but failed to complete the project, leading to the termination of its contract by the Federal Government in 2017 and its subsequent re-award to another construction firm.
The organisation questioned the decision to entrust the proposed Ondo project to the company, alleging that the procurement process lacked transparency.
AGGA also claimed that although the Ondo State Executive Council approved the project, government officials did not disclose either the identity of the contractor or the contract sum during the post-council briefing.
According to the group, its independent investigation led to the discovery of the alleged N134 billion contract value and the identity of the contractor.
The organisation further questioned the necessity of constructing the flyover, arguing that the project may not represent the most prudent use of public resources in view of prevailing economic realities and other developmental priorities in the state.
It called on the Ondo State Government to make public the details of the procurement process, including the bidding procedure, contract value and justification for the award, in the interest of transparency and accountability.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Ondo State Government were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report, and no official response had been issued to the allegations contained in the statement.
