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| Chief Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture |
Contractors
who worked for Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) towards
ensuring efficient commercial agriculture and food security have appealed to the
management to save them from untimely death by paying their
long overdue debts owed them just as one of them has been reported dead.
A source at the ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity said
since all capital projects had been appropriated with fund so as to ensure
payment as soon as the job was completed, so the question of no payment should
not in any way arise except it was intentional.
But contrary to this principle, said another
source, the new Permanent Secretary (PS) has issued an instruction that no money
should be paid for no justification. Another source added that it was as a
result of personal interest, because even though all other papers had been
vetted for the sake of transparency and have been well audited and given to him
for payment to commence, still, no action had been effected even after almost
nine months of job execution.
Some of the
affected contractors told food farm news
that many of them borrowed money from micro finance banks (known for their high
interest rates) to complete the jobs hoping payment would be made immediately
following the principle of procurement law that stipulated payment within six
months adding that they are already thinking of the steps to be taken against
the ministry for payment to be effected.
They also
accused ministry management of effecting payment to projects below five million
naira saying this was due to vested interest within the departments as many
capital projects were split into fractions (with the civil servants awarding
same to themselves) so as to enable easy payment among themselves even as many
jobs were not done, and thereby leaving real contractors to face interest
challenges.
But meanwhile they have passionately plea for
their payment so as to save so many other souls that are attached to it.
This is an excellent professional journalism , if the Agric program of this administration must succeed issue of prompt payment of jobs well executed should be given serious attention . I know of some agro input suppliers that also died
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