The Edo State Assets Verification Committee, set up on Thursday by the state governor, Monday Okpebholo, accused the previous administration of pushing down a road project from 8 billion naira to 16 billions of naira.

The contract amount for the 17.5 kilometer road project was inflated three times in one year, according to the committee.

Reacting, Crusoe Osagie, Media Advisor to former Governor Godwin Obaseki, said: “As we have repeatedly pointed out, Okpebholo’s real challenge lies in his lack of capacity and unpreparedness for office . »

Osagie urged the Edo State governor to settle down, build capacity and focus on working for the people of Edo State during the short time he will be in office. Dennis Osadebey Avenue, rather than resorting to unintelligent lies to score cheap political points.

The project manager of the construction company, Ifiok Kong, who addressed the committee, said a company was mobilized with N2.9 billion, which represents 25 percent of the contract amount of 8 billion naira.

Kong said that after the mobilization, the contract amount was changed, with a certain amount added to the initial cost of the project.

He added that the duration of work, which was initially three and a half years, was however revised downwards to 18 months.

The project manager said the contract amount was initially N8 billion in September 2023 but was revised upwards to N12 billion in 2024 and then to the current sum of N16.4 billion. of naira in June 2024.

Speaking on the claim, a member of the subcommittee, Engr. Abass Braimah, who disapproved of the development, said the increase was 100 percent.

“I don’t think there is any project in Nigeria or outside this sub-national where a project can be awarded for N8 billion, revised to N12 billion, then revised to N16 billion,” he said. he declared.

“Why don’t we just review it and take the entire Edo State scholarship?” If we can go from N8 billion to over N12-16 billion in one year?

“What has changed significantly for you to have a 100% increase from N8 billion to N16 billion? In the meantime, the job specifications or content have not changed. It’s always the same thing.

“In the context of several other companies that bid, they awarded you this position for N8 billion. After the project was awarded N8 billion, they revised it with a 50 percent increase. Fifty percent of the N8 billion is N4 billion, which increased the sum to N12 billion, and they later revised it to N16 billion. What type of games do we play here? These are games.

Earlier, the chairman of the subcommittee, Patrick Obahiagbon, said the project manager’s explanation confirmed the contents of a petition received by the commission on the alleged inflation of the contract amount for the road project.