We've Uncovered ₦40.5 million Inflation On GHS Ilorin Project, ENetSuD Tells AbdulRazaq

The Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD), an anti-corruption Civil Society Organization known in Kwara for its #FollowKwaraMoney, has raised an observation on the Three Hundred and Sixty-One Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Seven Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty-Nine Naira (₦361,957,439) that was approved by the Kwara State Government as the contract sum of Government High School, Ilorin. ENetSuD told the Governor that irrelevant items worth ₦40,530,208 were added to the Bill of Quantity (BoQ) of the project, thereby increasing the contract sum with that amount.

In a letter written to the Governor on 14th May 2021 and signed by its Coordinator (Dr. Alagbonsi Abdullateef), made available to 9japarrot through the CSO Committee Chairman on Media and Publicity, Saeed Tijjani, ENetSuD said:

 “Our re-calculation of the BoQ shows that the accurate contract sum was supposed to be Three Hundred and Twenty-One Million, Four Hundred and Twenty-Seven Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirty-Three Naira (₦321,427,233) instead of the ₦361,957,439 approved by the Ministry for the LOTS 1 and 2 of the GHS project. This has led to an avoidable miscalculation of the contract sum as a result of the addition of irrelevant items worth Forty Million, Five Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Two Hundred and Eight Naira (₦40,530,208).

ENetSuD noted that apart from the substantive works (items) billed in each project’s BoQ, the only additions that should normally reflect before arriving at the total are the Preliminaries, Contingency and VAT. ENetSuD therefore listed the irrelevant items that amounted to ₦40,530,208 as supervision, monitoring and evaluation for each project’s bill; project design and production of BoQ for each project’s bill; progress photographs for each projects’ bill; project labelling for each project’s bill; vetting for each project’s bill; 5% WHT for each project’s bill; 3% development levy for each project’s bill; general contingency at the end of the overall bill summary; general preliminary at the end of the overall bill summary; and  monitoring, inspection and evaluation at the end of the overall bill summary.

It will be recalled that ENetSuD earlier raised concern on Thirty-One Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ninety-Nine Naira (₦31,980,799) that was the total amount for similar irrelevant items inserted in the BoQ of the project of Patigi Secondary School, Patigi.

ENetSuD prayed to the Governor to consider and approve the revision of the contract sum of the Government High School Ilorin from the approved ₦361,957,439 to ₦321,427,233. ENetSuD also advised the Governor to use the excess ₦40,530,208 for other people-oriented projects like the provision of water to marginalized communities across Kwara State without access to potable water.

The miscalculation of the contract sum revealed by ENetSuD is only on the re-assessment of the BoQ, not yet a judgement from the technical re-measurement of the work done at site (which shall be re-visit on completion).