Contractors defraud Adamawa govt of N4.9bn

A five-man panel of investigation to the activities of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has, Monday, in a report submitted to the executive Governor of Adamawa State, Senator Muhammad Umaru Jibrilla, revealed that the tune of N4.9 billion had been defrauded by various companies and contractors by partial or non- execution of projects awarded to them by previous administrations.
Alhaji Alfa Belel who is the chairman of the investigative panel, while submitting the reports in his office, explained that the panel has gone into rigorous investigation from award of 1,150 contracts awarded from 2010 to date.
“Sir we discovered that some contractors awarded contracts to execute some projects in the state that were partially executed while some have not even executed at all, now owing the state of seven hundred and thirty million naira (N730,000,000) while projects paid but not visibly located is put at N892 million,” Balel reported.
The reports still shown that there are unreceipted money amounting to six hundred and fifty four million naira (N654,000,000) and one hundred and forty six as unremitted.
According to him, the projects handled during the period under investigation include construction of boreholes, classrooms, health centers, toilets as well as supply of water adding that eleven billion naira was received from the Federal government for activities of MDGs in the state.
He narrated that almost all contractors that awarded contracts had collaborated with consultants to defraud the state government as all the projects have been fully paid.
Responding Governor Umaru Jibrilla thanked the committee for a job well-done and assured that his administration will not tolerate corruption.
The governor then referred the report to the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Bala Sanga, for further action.