Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused some civil servants of awarding non-existent contracts without ministerial approval, leading to alleged claims of about N5.8 billion by contractors.
Wike made the allegation on Tuesday during the commissioning of the rehabilitated N50 billion Lower Usuma Dam Phase 2 Water Treatment Plant in Ushafa, Bwari Area Council.
He dismissed the contractors demanding payment as “bogus,” stressing that he would not be pressured into settling claims for contracts that were never legitimately awarded.
“Let anybody who said I awarded a contract bring the documents. Civil servants stay in their offices and award contracts worth N10 million, N15 million, N20 million without the minister knowing. Then you hear that the minister is owing N15 billion. Certainly, it will not happen. Nobody can intimidate me on that,” Wike said.
He maintained that only contracts duly awarded under his watch would be honoured. According to him, protesters claiming to be contractors were being used by those who illegally awarded the contracts.
“They will continue to demonstrate. If you like, go to the British embassy or any embassy, I will not feel pressured. If I award contracts, I will pay. But I never awarded any of these contracts. We must do things right,” the minister added.
Wike insisted that the era of “business as usual” in the FCT was over, urging aggrieved persons to seek redress from those who awarded them the purported contracts.
