FROM EMMANUEL ADEYEMI, Lokoja
The Kogi State Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up on the Great Lokoja Water Project has ordered Chinese Company that handled the project to refund the sum of N6.1 billion for failing to abide by specifications as contained in the Bill of Quantity for the contract.
Chairman of the Commission, Justice Abdullahi Wada, who gave the order, on Wednesday, during the panel sitting in Lokoja, also warned that the commission will not hesitate to issue a Bench Warrant for the arrest of people who have refused to appear before the commission.
The Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, Mr. Sule Oladunni had earlier told the Commission that the contract was awarded to Geo- Science Company (CGC), of China in 2009 at the cost of N13.2 billion naira and was completed in 2012 before it was commissioned by the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to him, the construction component was carried out without problems but the operational maintenance aspect such as training, reticulation and others were not carried out for which the state was short charged of millions of naira over the years.
He also told the Commission that the state was made to pay for the custom duty of the contractor’s equipment while payment of compensation to the land owners which was part of the contract agreement was not obeyed by the contractor.