A judicial Commission of Inquiry set-up by Governor Godwin Obaseki to probe into the construction of the Edo Specialist Hospital and supply of equipment for the hospital has indicted the administration of the former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, for breach of the state’s Public Procurement Law.
The Obaseki-led administration had recently constituted a Commission of Inquiry to conduct a detailed inquiry into the process leading to the conceptualisation, design, construction and equipping of the hospital and to determine if there was a breach of the Edo State Procurement Law and other extant laws and procedures.
Presenting the commission’s findings to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Thursday, Chairman of the Commission, Justice James Oyomire (rtd) said the award of the contract for the construction of the hospital was fraught with breaches of the state’s procurement laws.
According to him, the law clearly states that any contractor working on a government project should not receive more than 25 percent upfront payment upon contract award, which Oshiomhole’s administration contravened.
“The immediate past administration paid 75 percent of the contract sum upfront for the project to Vamed Engineering,” Justice Oyomire said.
He added that part of the commission’s 8-point recommendation includes that the Ministry of Justice should institute civil and criminal actions against those found culpable in the breach of the law.
The recommendations, according to him, also include the strengthening of the state’s public procurement agency and ensuring strict adherence to the provision of the agency’s law on award of contract.
Obaseki, while receiving the report, assured that anyone found culpable, no matter how highly-placed, would be called to account for their action.
Obaseki said: “We have been putting the right measures in place and if there are resources of government that need to be returned, we will not hesitate to ask for it.
“Since I came into office, you cannot find this type of breach you have mentioned. If people have to face prosecution, whether civil or criminal, they will have to be prosecuted.
“When you are given a public trust, so much is expected from you and there is a responsibility to maintain that public trust. We want to build institutions and not individuals because individuals will come and go, but institutions will remain.
“The people who have the opportunity of rebuilding the system took further steps in destroying the already weakened system. We shall seat down and thoroughly review this report.”
