Quoting the response of ECN, ENetSuD said the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation directed ECN to transfer the project and the fund released to Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) for execution.
Elites Network For Sustainable Development (ENetSuD), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) based in Kwara State, has written a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the non-implementation of Peke-Temidire road despite money being released by the government.
ENetSuD in the petition accused Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) for failing to implement the Peke-Temidire road Constituency project facilitated by Rt. Hon. Razaq Atunwa representing Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.
Dr. Alagbonsi Abdullateef, Coordinator of ENetSuD, stated it has been confirmed that the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) transferred the money to NBRRI to enable it embark the project.
He said a Freedom of Information (FOI) request was sent to ECN to ask for the execution details of the 3 km road project domiciled under her in the 2017 budget.
“A Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 1st August 2018 to Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) to ask for the execution details of the 3 km road project domiciled under her in the 2017 budget.
“Quoting the response of ECN, ENetSuD said the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation directed ECN to transfer the project and the fund released to Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) for execution.
“The ECN also established the fact that the fund was transferred to NBRRI barely 2 weeks after the receipt of the directive, which was timely enough for NBRRI to execute the project,” Abdullateef said.
He stated that NBRRI denied receiving funds to execute the project when an execution detail of the road was requested.
“NBRRI responded that it neither initiated nor executed the road project because it only received notice of transfer of the project from ECN but did not receive any fund for it.”
Abdullateef maintained that it has evidences of payment of the fund to NBRRI, which include “a letter from NBRRI to ECN acknowledging the receipt of the sum of Ten Million Five Hundred Thousand naira (N10,500,000) into its Constituency Project Account, evidence of payment (outflow report) made to NBRRI through Remita Platform, and the directive from the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to effect the transfer of fund to NBRRI.”
He requested that the EFCC and ICPC investigate the non-execution of the project and publish their findings for public knowledge; and if found wanting, to speedily do such other things they consider necessary to ensure that Kwara money works for Kwarans.