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Revealed: How Gov Abdulrazaq reportedly gave N330m contract to Lagos socialite, crony

…company profile inactive in CAC …criticisms mar alleged poor implementation

By Mumini AbdulKareem
Details emerged last night of how Kwara State Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq reportedly gave the contract for the renovation of the Ilorin Grammar School (IGS) to a Lagos socialite and buddy of many years.
The beneficiary, it was gathered, was Sola Braithwaite who reportedly got the contract for the renovation of the symbolic school at the cost of N360m.
Although the renovation will be in two phases, Ghanaian workers resident at the facility located in Adeta, Ilorin West revealed that the first phase will be completed around two months time when this reporter visited on Sunday.
Braithwaite had also benefitted from other projects awarded by Governor Abdulrazaq which also runs into several hundreds of millions in the state in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic operating under the name CONCEL Engineering Ltd.
The company reportedly got the contract for the renovation of 2 blocks in Sobi specialist hospital and renovation of 4 blocks at Hajj Camp as facilities to manage the covid-19 pandemic in the state.
According to a Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) document sited by this medium dated July 17th, 2020, Sola Braithwaite was listed as the major director and shareholder of CONCEL engineering company registered in 2001 with registration number RC 402391 with address at No 1 Abiola Ajayi street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Though approved as an engineering company, CONCEL, has entered inactive status with the CAC raising concerns on motive for the award of the project.
The IGS project in particular has come under heavy criticisms from the people of the state after Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum constructed a similar school project from the scratch with N400m.
A source who preferred not to be named who also spoke on the matter last night queried the basis for awarding the contract of such magnitude to CONEL in the state place.
The Commissioner of Communication, Adenike Harriet Afolabi-Oshatimehin did no answer various seeking clarification on the matter Sunday.
Recall that recently, Indigenous Contractors and Suppliers in All Progressives Congress (APC), Kwara State chapter dissociated members of the association from the shoddy jobs by some contractors handling government projects across the state.
At a news conference held in Ilorin to address concerns over report that contractors handling some of the projects have poorly executed the jobs, president of the association, Alhaji Moshood Aigoro, said the association with over 25,000 members handled only two projects located at Esie and Edidi in Kwara South across the state adding that none fell short of the required standard.
According to him, the crop of engineers and suppliers required to deliver quality jobs are in abundance in Kwara state and therefore appealed to the state government to increase patronage for indigenous contractors as this would translate into economic empowerment for Kwarans.
While lamenting the implication of substandard and poorly delivered projects to the state government and the citizens, Aigoro reiterated that a Kwara based contractor who lives among Kwarans will not deliver substandard job for the people
He therefore restated the association support for Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and urged party leaders and elders to sheath their swords and unite for the benefit of the party and the state in general.
“Patronizing a Kwara based contractor will translate into economic empowerment for the people and we are ready to finance and executive any contract given to any of our members and get paid after the government is satisfied of our delivery because we are competent and understand that we should be partners in progress as the government strives to develop that state”, he submitted.

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