The Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and his Finance counterpart, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, on Tuesday shunned the House of Representatives’ investigative hearing on the N1 trillion failed rail contracts.
Also expected at the hearing but failed to appear, were the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Farida Waziri, ex-chairmen of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Gen. Martin Agwai and Dr. Christopher Kolade.
Angry with the huge amount of money involved in the contracts, the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee probing the deals, Hon. Johnson Agbaonayinma, vowed that those found wanting in the contracts between 2010 and 2014 will be exposed.
He said: “In spite the challenges faced by the committee, we are determined to fulfil the mandate given to us. Nigerians must know how their money was spent in the rail sector. I make bold to say that anyone found wanting will be exposed.
“We are in an era of accountability. Nigerians deserve to know how their monies (billions of dollars were spent); they also wish to know if contracts are awarded through the laid down guidelines of due process. When monies are expended on contracts, it is our duty to ensure that the jobs are implemented as specified in the contract agreement,” he said.
Defending how N77 billion was disbursed to contractors involved in all the rail projects, the Convener of Presidential Committee on Rail under SURE-P, Mazi Sam Ohuanbuwa, said that the amount involved was N73.08 billion and not N77 billion.
He said: “I’m proud to say that we carried out all our assignments well as we verified all payments and projects nationwide,” adding that SURE-P was not party to the award of railway contracts.
He explained that a total sum of N73 billion was expended on various railway projects between June 2012 and March 2014 when the tenure of the intervention outfit ended.
Ohuanbuwa said that of the N32 billion budgeted in 2012, the sum of N11. 8billion was spent to rehabilitate the railways in the country.
He disclosed that details of the payment receipts were domiciled on the budget office, adding that the sum of N27 billion out of N77.2 billion budgeted in 2013 was expended, in addition to the sum of N34 billion out of the budgeted N43 billion spent in 2014.
Ohunbuawa’s predecessor, Dr Chike Okongwu, corroborated the position of his successor, saying: “I’m proud to have served in that committee because we went the extra mile to ensure that due process was followed.”
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