Delta govt debunks report on contract awards

By Kelvin Ohoror

The Delta State Government has debunked report published by an online newspaper accusing the Governor of awarding hospital renovation contracts to his sister and aides.

Commissioner for Information in the State, Mr Charles Aniagwu, in a statement in Asaba at the weekend, said there was no iota of truth in the report and urged the public to discountenance it.

According to him, the report obviously planted by mischief makers, alleged that the contracts where valued at N8.7 billion.

“For the avoidance of doubt and in order not to mislead the general public, the contract for the renovation of the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, is in two parts.

“The contract for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the two wings of the main building (clinical complex) involves total reconstruction and re-piping of the oxygen line and other ancillary facilities was awarded to North China Construction Company Limited, a reputable Chinese company, at a cost of N1.296 billion.

“The award of the contract to the Chinese company was on account of its competence and good performance at the New State Secretariat Complex which is currently being completed in Asaba.

“The second project is the construction of the Pathology Building, an entirely new project, to A&J Construction at a cost of N1.2 billion.

On the Mother and Child hospital and the Diagnostic Center projects, the Commissioner said the projects are contractor financed by SINOMA/NJZC CONSTRUCTION COMPANY.

“The Mother and Child hospital was awarded at a total sum of N1.382 billion while Contractor will fund 70%: N968 million and State Govt 30%: N415 million.

“The Diagnostic Center was awarded at a total sum of N1,717 billion with Contractor providing 70%: #1,202 billion and State Govt 30%: N515 million.

“The company is one of the largest chinese companies in Africa.  They are presently building dangote refineries and most of the cement plants in Africa. They are in Delta State due to the credibility and international reputation of the Gov Ifeanyi Okowa led administration.

“The award of the contracts at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital is a testimony of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s efforts geared towards ensuring that the hospital is repositioned to become a proper teaching hospital as it ought to be.

“The online publication is, therefore, a big lie from the pit of hell aimed at maligning the government before the public and making it lose focus, but we are not perturbed because we had earlier intimated the general public about the antics of certain mischief makers who are bent at tarnishing the hard earned reputation of the Okowa-led administration.

“We therefore call on the general public to ignore the said report as ‘fake news’ and discountenance it as such.” he stated.