Ahmed Mohammed
10 October 2008
Jos — The Plateau State Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the award of contracts between May 1999 and May 2007 has invited more witsses to testify on the N1.8 billion Bukuru township roads awarded by the administration of former governor Joshua Dari-ye.
This was disclosed at the end of the commission's sitting yesterday in Jos by its chairman, Justice M.O. Onalaja, who said what the commission needed was honest advice from the counsel and witnesses to enable them get the truth and correct information on how the contracts were awarded, and not to witch-hunt anyone.
Earlier, the independent counsel to the commission, Barrister Sikiru Oyedele Sani asked for more time to enable them bring more witnesses who know how the actual contract was awarded to the construc-tion firm by the Jos Metropo-litan Development Board. Barris-ter Sikiru said they were not satisfied with the answers given by the director of engineering of the board whom they alleged hid some facts about the actual figures on the contract.
Testifying before the commis-sion, the director of engineering of the Jos Metropolitan Deve-lopment Board denied inflating the contract and agreed that when the contract was awarded, the contractor was given over N200mn as mobilisation fee and carried out 30 percent of the work at the cost of N294 million but abandoned the project because of the government did not pay again. The Independent counsel to the commission argued that if N294 million could do the 30 percent of the work the amount required to complete the project would not be above N1 billion.
The chairman of the commis-sion adjourned the case to Monday 13th October 2008 to enable the independent council bring more witnesses.
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