BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

ADO-EKITI – The Contract Review Committee set up by the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, led government in  Ekiti State has uncovered irregularities in the award of contracts carried out by the ousted government led by Engr Segun Oni.

This facts emerged, Thursday,  when the chairman of the committee, Mr. Eben Alade,  submitted the panel’s report, stating that some government officials  colluded with civil servants to perpetrate the fraud.

Alade said his committee, which was constituted in November last year by  Governor Kayode Fayemi, received submissions from 53 ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, on 2,731 capital projects.

Alade who said that the panel worked within the 10 terms of reference given it at inauguration, noted that  the report will guide the state government in taking decisions in the overall interest of Ekiti people in recovering whatever might have been lost in the award of contracts by the ousted administration.

“We were able to point out how the political leadership collaborated with some career officers to commit the state government to avoidable expenditures.

“It is unfortunate that some people (political and career officers) can collaborate to commit the state government to engage in road projects in neighbouring states of Ondo, Osun, Kogi and Kwara for no just cause.

“In a similar vein, it is strange in contract administration for a government to award a contract to a company, terminate that contract for non-performance and award it to another company, only to later re-award the same contract to the original contract at a higher rate.