N998 million notebook contract: I’ll resign if allegation of inflation is true – Makinde

From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has threatened to resign if the allegation of inflating the N998 million notebook contract for secondary schools students levelled against his administration is true.

He made the disclosure on Saturday when he spoke at the grand finale of the one year anniversary of a private radio station, Agidigbo 88.7FM, Ibadan, held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.

Makinde’s reaction followed a review of the Oyo State Open Contracting portal, carried out by a study group, known as Dataphyte, which alleged that the notebooks came with a unit price of N2,100.

According to the review, the secondary school notebook contracts awarded up to N998 million between August 2019 and December 2020 have allegedly been subject to contract inflation, fraudulent contract bidding and contract ambiguity. It was said to have been awarded to the founder of Agidigbo FM, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat.

The governor stated that the allegations of contract inflation, fraudulent contract bidding and contract ambiguity, were untrue. He explained that if a thorough investigation is conducted and the allegations are found to be true, he would not hesitate to resign his position as governor of the pacesetter state.

According to him, the people behind the news said they carried out the market survey, which revealed that the unit price of the notebook was between N250 and N300. He said that ‘if the printing price of each notebook is above N300, I will resign.’

Makinde said his administration might consider legal actions against the mastermind of what he described as fake news. He stated further that there was nothing wrong in awarding contracts to indigenes of Oyo State, who are competent to handle such contacts, including Oriyomi Hamzat.

The founder of Agidigbo FM, Hamzat, in his address read by the Head of the Station, Mr Ibrahim Adebayo, said within one year, the company has through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), empowered many people in the state with cash, micra cars, tricycles, motorcycles, refrigerators and so on. He added that within one year also, the station has obtained a licence to start a television station, as well as Agidigbo FM in Lagos.