By Iheanacho Nwosu and Chuks Akunna, Abuja
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts yesterday summoned former Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, over a N2.3 billion road contract which was awarded in 2001.
Anenih was the Minister of Works between 1999 and 2003 during the Obasanjo administration.
The contract, accrding to the committee, was abandoned under questionable and ignoble circumstances. Apart from Anenih, the committee also summoned the contractor of the abandoned project Torno Internazionale Nigeria Limited, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works when the contract was awarded and the Federal Road Comptroller of Works in Nasarawa State.
The move by the committee was followed a report of the Auditor-General of the Federation on the activities of the ministry which found it wanting in the handling of the road contract.
The contract which was awarded in September 2001 was for the reconstruction of a road in Nasarawa State. The completion date was earlier slated for April 18, 2003. However, the project was later abandoned by the contractor . The Auditor-General’s report disclosed that Torno Internationale executed only 19 per cent of the job, adding that the contractor was paid far in excess of the work done, stressing that no attempt was made to recover the N552million paid to the contractor as mobilisation fee.
The report said the contractor ought to have been paid N440.5million out of the contract sum, but said the contract file revealed that N919.3million was paid to him. Summoning Anenih, Chairman of the committee, Solomon Adeola, said the former BoT chair, who was the minister when the contract was awarded, has some explanations to make on the issue.
Specifically, he said the former minister is expected to defend the contents of a memo he allegedly presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) which persuaded the government to approve the contract.
Adeola lamented the way public funds were being wasted in a country that had enormous infrastructure deficit. On what the committee would do with the owner of the construction firm, Adeola said the man is expected to give his own side of the story on the matter. He also disclosed that the committee was considering contacting the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to reveal the Nigerian directors of the contracting firm.
Hope federal government will get to the root of this matter or PDP will handle it as usual and close the matter……. i advise Nigerias to vote PDP out of power comes 2015 if we want good Nigeria and good Government.
this is not just a problem of pdp alone those in other parties are all former pdp members and they are all thiefs, what we need is for nigerians to vote massively for fresh hands not this old dubious politicians in different parties, or can you tell me any party in nigeria today that is not corrupt, they are the same poeple
i HOPE THIS NEVER TURNS OUT TO BE A FLASH IN THE PAN AS EVER
@EBUKA, I ADMIRE UR HOPE BUT AS U HOPE REMEMBER THIS. 1. MR FIX IT aka ANINEH IS A MASTER IN FIXING THINGS AS U WILL SEE IN THIS. 2. THESE H.OF REPS COMMITTEES HAVE A HISTORY WHICH OBVIOUSLY WILL DASH TO THE MUD WHATEVER IS LEFT OF UR HOPE.
HOWEVER LET’S KEEP HOPE ALIVE…
A serious committee would have checked the ownership issue with the Corporate Affairs Commission before going up to the roof tops to announce its catch. This is likely to be the last we would hear about this issue, like ALL OTHERS before it.
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ANEHNIE, THE DEVIL INCARNET
How many national merit awards has this man bagged in Nigeria? the entire nation should be ashamed that we produced such a man.
Members of the National Assembly are Government’s contractors,the amount in question is less than what each of them is making annually as profit.So they are all criminals,they are our problems.If Farouk Lawal and Patricia Eteh should be given a clean bill,then Anini is a saint.
i am waiting for my turn to be in government so that i will fill my own pocket . i am tired of hearing and reading about these loots. my advice to one and sundry who have not gotten their national cake is to watch and pray till their turn comes.there is no one person that is clean in Nigeria from the president to the Councillor
I praise the courage of the Accountant-General in revealing the theft. My worry is that nothing positive and punitive may come out of it because the PDP are very likely to treat it as ‘family matter’.
I trust that one day, God will rise against all the contractors and government officials who are looting our common wealth.
Aninih and National assembly are the greatest Nigerian Criminal
A fail state is a fail state,dis is just the ice bag in D teabag, can u imagine all these amount .enough to put d youths out of the street of 9ija and few of these thiefing elders will pocket part of it and took d rest abroad 4 safe keeps instead of using it to built wht will absorbed the 600,000 school leavers yearly, whom when they died some one will come out and say that we shld emulate their good deeds when the were alive in form of eulogizing them. Its a pity for this entity named NIGERIA, 9ija is a big disgrace to the african nations and black race entirly, what abt the so called contractor awarded the ore-benin rd, i knew tht as the festive period are fast approaching now, they have started their BATCH ME I BATCH U sydrome on tht rd now. 9IJA I TELL U THT U ARE A DISGRACE TO THE AFRICAN NATION AND BLACK RACE in general, U ARE A FAIL STATE. Gd morning 9ija.
Name 1 black nation that is Economically prosperous ? This people re talkin about inviting Aniehni 4 questioning. Was this not the same case Dr Orji Uzor Kalu had made reference to during which the former president Obasanjo and his cohorts decided to put him out of business. They should stop deceiving themselves in d name of legislation. Some of them were members of rep committe on works when this contract was awarded and might have equally benefitted from the sharing so let’s stop these goose chase as nothing will come out of it.
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Here r ma submisionz:
(a) as usual mere announcemnt of dis discovry is its end
(b) soon there may b anoda discovry or confesion dat d com’tee or its chairman got visited by d contractor and/or d foma minister – watch out – with ‘ghana-must-go’ bag.
(c) dis is a case of dog not eating dog,so d reps/com’tee may do nothing, tel me, wat hav they done b4?
(d) ACF sugestd capital punishment 4 Treasury lootaz,wat sayeth thou?
(e) may God help us! Amen
(f) …
Sorry, PATCH ME I PATCH U.
What are these rubbish in this country on the pages of Newspapers daily?Hadly you hear any good plans for the masses by the government, rather,one embasslement or the other involving the ruling class, their children and relations. Could you imagine how billions of naira in millions misses daily in Nigeria from all angles without any trace of recoverying.Upon all the sub committees set up non has come out with result simply because the c;mttee members are also guilty of the same offence of bribery and corruption. Who is good among the ruling class both the past and the present since they belong to one occulic society and cannot probe themselves.Tony Annenih as ex-police officer and former pdp ( BOT) is a phd holder from the school of thieves in Nigeria, what is N2.3billion fruad compare to others yet to be discovered during his tenor as works minister? House of Reps, well done, God will bless some of you who are sincerer to do the jobs they are voted to do. Make history for yourselves and spare no thief no matter how highly placed, posterity will judge your work at last.it is very unfortunate our president have allowed himsel to be used by not treating these matters according to the law of the land.I advice the president, the corrupt governors, senators and hse reps and their ministers to read back page of todays Guardian newspaper as food for thought. Do these shameless leaders listen to the word of God once in a while? Is it not time yet for your repentance? What are you going to do with this billions of naira you are stealing daily? Do you realise that when you drop this body, you can not go to hell with one kobo out of your billions? The youths are to be blame because the same people will use you during the election to win vote by given you pienut. 2015 is at hand,if you are wies, collect their money and vote to your conscience.They are the same East, West North and south.
Nothing will come out of this. Waiting our time. Nobody will be prosecuted. Make una go siddon.
The house Ctte on works has done nothing new than mere Revelation when they are call upon got their own share of LOOTS,it will become a family affairs. We are aware of how much Mr Fix (Aneni) and OBJ looted this country and acquired farms in all the six zones.
We have been hearing these rubbish for years. By the end of the day nothing happen. Poor man have not mouth for Nigeria.
This matter should be sustained until Nigerians know the details the reasons, the road construction was abandoned.
Well, Mr TONY ANANIH is Mr FIX IT, but just how well he can fix it this time is the issue because nemesis is actually catching up on him and the rest of his sort.