Officials of government of Lagos, especially members of the state House of Assembly, are not finding it easy with contractors over contracts awarded to them by the state government under former Governor Babatunde Fashola.
Most of these projects were abandoned once the administration of Fashola ended and the administration of current Governor Akinwunmi Ambode emerged.
In some cases, the state government have had to re-award contracts or force contractors to return to site.
Currently, according to findings, different committees of the State House of Assembly have summoned various contractors to come tell why projects awarded to them have been abandoned. At the last count, over 30 contractors have been summoned.
Out of these contractors, the committee on Housing alone summoned 28 over abandoned housing projects code-named Lagos HOMS by the Fashola administration.
Some of these contracts were abandoned in the Badagry area of the state.
Those summoned include House Master Ltd, Threshold Global investment Ltd, Mudal House Project Ltd, Comprehensive Homes Ltd, L&K Concept Ltd, Guinning Enterprises Ltd, Troy Construction and Developers Ltd, Intercom Ltd and Housing Alliance, Telesis Signature, Data Alliance Nig. Ltd, Telesol Ltd, Aron Nig. Ltd, Leranod Ventures Ltd, Ex-valve, Jopam Agency, Mode House Agency Project Ltd and Bison Business Services Ltd.
Ibrahim Layode, the chairman of the Committee on Housing, on a visit to some of the sites expressed dismay that the contractors did not go on with the projects for a long time.
“It is not encouraging at all, the scoring of New Town Development Authority does not reflect what is on ground for contractors who have received above 50 percent of funds and left the work far from average,” Layode said.
Apart from other people that have been summoned, the Committee on Works has summoned a contractor, Dolly Dredging, for abandoning the channelisation of Ajegunle-Ilo Aboru area of the state.
Chairman of the committee, Tobun Abiodun, has warned that no defaulting contractor would be allowed to escape from the law. It is either the return the contract sum to the government or they are sanctioned.
“Those, who abandon government projects should pay the contract money back to the government and we will bring them to the chamber of the House if they fail to do that.
“We will expose such persons and let Lagos residents know them. They have been given enough money to make profits and if you put the capital and profits in your pockets, you would be brought to book and dealt with and we will write our reports and bring the person to the floor of the House.
“We will then take a decision and send it to the Governor to take action on such contractors,” Tobun said.
But government officials explain that some of the abandoned projects were awarded to loyalists or the All Progressives Congress, members of the party or cronies of government officials.
It was learnt that most of these contractors had been mobilised effectively for the jobs.
“Some of them have even been paid in full. So it is not understood why they would abandon the project.
“Many of them may have believed that the end of the Fashola government, the contracts had been forgotten and that the new government would just re-award it. Many of the contractors are either party members or know people in leadership positions.
“As a result, it is often difficult to sanction these contractors. In many cases, the contracts are only repealed and re-awarded. This may be one of the challenges the members of the House would face,” a government source told Huhuonline.com.
