A body of indigenous contractors and Artisans in Oyo State has described as uncharitable a recent media report that the Oyo State government rescinded on its campaign promise by awarding the contract for a 21km road in Ibadan to a non-indigenous company.
The body, known as Construction Professionals Association (Local Content Group) in a press statement signed by comrade Adebisi Adejare on Saturday notes that the publication in reference criticizing the state government for awarding the contract for the Airport-Ajia road to an Asaba based construction company is laced with mischief and absolutely devoid of good faith.
“For starters, what is wrong in it if the Oyo State government awards a contract to a company that is based in Delta State? Who says that the directors of that very company are not indigenes of Oyo State? Did the publishers of that story say that there is a clause in the contract’s terms and condition that the workers that would be hired to execute the contracts would not be residents of Oyo State? Would it not be ridiculous to say that only companies that are registered in Oyo State would be considered for all public work projects in the state?
“There is no dispute about the fact that Oyo State parades highly qualified and competent engineers, but to assume that the state government would close its options of expertise to Ibadan construction firms alone would not just be preposterous, but roundly negates the principle of open bidding for government contracts,” the statement said.
The group notes further that apart from the Airport-Ajia road being mentioned in the report, the Makinde administration has undertaken several other projects which sought the patronage of local engineers and craftsmen.
According to the group, “while the Airport-Ajia road project could be one, out of several other projects in the contemplation of the state government, it is on record that the state government has widely sought the patronage of local engineers and craftsmen, thus fulfilling the local content obligations of government on all contracts.
“The governor has given so much support and patronage to indegenes within his short time. The palliatives that were procured to alleviate the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown in all the zones of the state were sourced locally.
“Nose masks production was given to local tailors in a contract that runs into millions of Naira.
“Likewise, contracts for the rehabilitation of some schools were given to local contractors, as well as all SUBEB projects.
There are other rehabilitation of roads currently on- going and being handled by local contractors.
The signature public road project of this administration which is the Moniya/iseyin Road was given to a company registered in Oyo State.”
The group therefore warns against any unsolicited campaign of calumny against the state government, asking that the government should be allowed to focus on the mandate of building infrastructure in Oyo State without any compromise
