PDP alleges padding of N797.23bn Abuja-Kano road project

Calling it “corruption” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday raised the alarm over alleged inflation of the cost of the Abuja-Kano road and cautions the federal government on “over bloated cost of projects”

The party is raising the concern as the cost for the reconstruction of the Abuja

-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road is reportedly put at an outrageous N797.23 billion. The PDP added that “a project racket which has again exposed the multifaceted corruption in the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration”.

The party asserts that the approval of a scandalous N797.23 billion ($2.09bn) by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the 375 kilometer road, speaks volumes of the level of profligacy and corruption inherent in the administration.

The PDP argues that while it has nothing against any genuine effort towards infrastructural development in our country and particularly the reconstruction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road, it, along with all well-meaning Nigerians, reject the clear attempt by the APC administration to hide under this desirable project to fleece our nation.

“Our party invites Nigerians to note that by awarding the reconstruction of the 375 kilometer road for N797 billion, the APC Federal Government wants the nation to believe that it is spending N12.12 billion ($5.58 million) per kilometer of road.

“The PDP holds that this is the height of corruption, recklessness and

insult on the sensibilities of Nigerians.

“Nigerians can now see how the APC-led administration has been awarding  projects at over- bloated costs, bulk of which are diverted to private  purses of APC leaders and the cabal, making our roads the most expensive in Africa.

“Similar roads with the same length in kilometers and road architecture are being constructed at far cheaper costs in other countries across Africa.

The PDP holds that awarding our roads at indefensible costs just to enrich APC leaders at the detriment of millions of other Nigerians is completely unacceptable”. Reads a press statement issued on Sunday, by the party’s national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.

It continues: “It is common knowledge that there are internationally recognized cost per kilometer recommended by many international organisations to which Nigeria belongs, but the APC administration had failed to subscribe to such template because of its proclivity for corruption.

“Furthermore, there are reports that under the APC, roads are being awarded to contractors before the structural designs are ready.

“Moreover, the concept of competitive bidding for contracts is being relegated thereby shutting out genuine contractors who could have delivered more qualitative jobs at realistic costs”.

While it cautions President Buhari to desist from awarding

contracts for projects at unrealistic and profligate costs, suggestive of having created a conduit pipe to corrupt APC leaders to siphon the nation’s common patrimony and subject Nigerians to excruciating hardship, PDP demands that the Buhari administration should publish the

detailed costs of all road awarded by it, showing payments for specifics, details of payments to contractors, the identity of the contractors as well ad parameters for disbarments, so that Nigerians can see the humongous corruption going on in the system under President Buhari’s watch.