Developing Story: Fubara Goes Tough, Orders Contractor To Refund N20b
By PHC Telegraph
The Rivers State Govern-ment has asked for the refund of N20 billion hastily paid out to a Chinese firm as mobilization fee by the Ibok-Ete Ibas administration.
The order to return the money to the coffers of the government came in the wake of the revocation of the contract for the renovation of the State Secretariat complex by the State Executive Council.
The State Executive Council chaired by Governor Siminalayi Fubara agreed at its meeting held in Government House, Port Harcourt, that the award of the contract did not follow due process.
Ibas had awarded the contract a few days before he was to handover the reins of Government to Fubara for the sum of N124 billion.
According to the Ibas, the contract awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) was meant for the renovation, retrofitting, and furnishing of the Rivers State Secretariat Complex.
Incidentally, the Secretariat Complex contract was not the only one revoked by the Rivers State Government.
Three other contracts were equally affected, a Government House statement said.
The statement quoted the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Austin Ezekiel-Hart as saying that the contracts were awarded “without following due process”.
The contracts are the renovation of the State Secretariat Complex, construction of reinforced concrete shoreline protection and reclamation works in several riverine communities of Opobo/Nkoro, and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas.
Recall that the projects were earlier advertised but the bid documents were cancelled by the Ibas Administration and fees returned to the companies that had earlier purchased them.
Accordingly, the State Executive Council also approved the revalidation of the bidding processes for the four contracts.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works further disclosed that the Exco approved the revalidation of the bidding process for all four contracts that were earlier advertised in national dailies on February 19, 2025.
With the revalidation process now on, Ezekiel-Hart stated that a fresh bidding will be advertised in newspapers for competent and experienced contractors to prequalify and submit both technical and commercial bids.