by Stanley Azuakola
The Imo state government has now
officially revoked the N1.3 billion contract awarded to Noutouch Global
Ventures Limited for the construction of a seven-floor Modern State
Judiciary Headquarters.
In a statement issued on Saturday, June
22, 2013, in Owerri, capital of Imo State, the state government said it
was forced to take the action because the commissioner for Lands,
Survey, Housing and Urban Development, Uche Nwosu, was dissatisfied with
the performance of the contractor who allegedly abandoned the job after
collecting N224 million as mobilization.
Only last week, Gov. Okorocha visited
the site and expressed displeasure that the building which was billed to
be delivered in April 2013 was still at its foundation level even
though the contractor had been mobilised. But in a swift reaction, the
managing director of Noutouch Global Ventures, Dr. Osita Okereke, blamed
the state government for the delay in the execution of the project,
stating that the government had agreed to pay 40 percent upfront as
stipulated in the contract agreement, but the governor did not comply
with that, instead, he paid 15 percent totalling about N168 million.
This is different from the N224 million figure which the government
claims to have paid.
Furthermore, Okereke alleged that Gov.
Okorocha had demanded and received a gratification of N24 million out of
the N168 million which the government paid.
“After all this, it will be callous and
inhuman for the governor to visit the site and threaten to revoke the
contract even when he’s aware that the state government has not paid the
company what is due to them.
“This is not the first time Governor
Okorocha is playing such pranks on my company. At the moment, the state
government owes my company the sum of N742 million as balance for some
other projects we are handling for the government such as the new
governor’s lodge, street solar electrification of Owerri-Orlu,
architectural design and surveying of Imo-European University,” said the
contractor.
Now, following the outburst by Okereke,
the government has revoked the contract, emphasising that Okereke’s firm
abandoned the site. The government statement also warned that it was
considering sueing the company for alleged breach of contract.
Source: http://www.thescoopng.com/gov-okorocha-revokes-contract-of-contractor-who-claimed-to-have-given-him-n24-million-bribe/
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