By Haruna Salami
Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe representing Oluyole Federal Constituency (Oyo state) said she was being “blackmailed” for insisting that the Olomi Olojuoro, Ijebu Igbo, Ita Egba- Owonowen Road in her constituency must be executed according to specifications.
She stated this Monday while speaking with some journalists at the National Assembly in apparent response to an allegation by a construction company, DC Engineering Ltd that she introduced another construction company, AREATECH Nigeria Ltd to the Federal Ministry of Works to take the job from them.
DC Engineering, during a recent investigative public hearing by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on the said road accused Hon. Akande-Sadipe and some officials of the Federal Ministry of Woks of hijacking an ongoing project and jacking up the contract sum from N9.8 billion to N54.3 billion.
During the sitting of the House, Engr. Ade Adedeji, Executive Director of DC Engineering Ltd said the 45 km road project was awarded to the company in 2018 at the sum of N9.8 Billion and the contract was supposed to be completed within two years, but it took the Federal Ministry of Works 5 (five) years (2018 to 2023) before it was able to pay 15 percent mobilization fund of N1.3 billion.
Engr. Adedeji said his company has approached the Ministry of Works variation of the contract sum from N9.8 Billion to at least N14 billion due to the high cost of materials, but the ministry of works refused adding they were surprised to notice that the same ministry that refused to review the contract upward to at least N14 billion, re-awarded the same contract to AREATECH Construction Ltd at the sum of N54.3 billion without the termination of their contract.
In the submission of the Solicitor, Tolu Babaleye & Co on behalf of the DC Engineering Ltd, the company alleged that the activities of Hon. Tolulope Akande Sadipe, a member representing Oluyole Federal Constituency of Oyo State have been frustrating the efforts of his client to execute the project.
“Our Client is also very much aware of the activities of Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, a member representing Oluyole Federal Constituency whom our client informed us has turned to a torn in its flesh and who has been promoting AREATECH Construction Ltd as contractor to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for the contract to be re-awarded to the said company for a reason best known to her.
However, Akande-Sadipe, while speaking with journalists said she was “thoroughly disheartened that she was being blackmailed” because she chose to be a “responsible and accountable citizen of Oluyole and Nigeria”.
Hon. Akande-Sadipe said the position of DC Engineering was total falsehood in an attempt to steer the House committee investigating the contract away from the true situation on ground with regards to Olojuoro, ljebu-Igbo, Ita Egba, Owonowen road in Oluyole Federal constituency and also “to deter me to stop my responsibility to the people of Oluyole Federal Constituency”.
“This letter did not address the substance of the several petitions and motions in any way, including the most recent of 13th July 2023. Rather what they went into was to disparage my person and smear my name and engage in scandalous defamation of my character by alleging that my objective in intervening on behalf of Oluyole is to promote a particular contractor Aereatech Nigeria Limited, to the Federal Ministry of Works.
“I state categorically that I do not have any direct or indirect relationship with the said contractor, and I am not in anyway related to the said contractor, I have never introduced any such contractor”, nor introduced this so called company to any Ministry of Works official.
She said she is a public officer who has taken oath to be responsible to her constituency and could not close her eyes on the issue of a 45Km road awarded in 2018 to DC Engineering of which less than 1KM has been completed as at today September 2023 after collecting N2 bn out of the N9.8bn contract.
“A badly constructed 1KM that has resulted in fatal casualties. I believe my office confers on me the right to act on behalf of my people in my capacity as the representative of Oluyole Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives”, adding that “the waste of taxpayers funds and the resources of the nation needs to stop”.
She has vowed to take legal action against DC Engineering Ltd because her reputation and good intentions for her people of Oluyole Federal constituency and Nigeria are at stake.
“I request a publicly advertised retraction and apology to be published in 5 major Newspapers, otherwise I will have no choice but to sue the client and his lawyer.
