From Ali Galadima, Bauchi
A construction company in Bauchi state, EL-BYXZS NIG. LTD has demanded the payment of N30 million as compensation from the Bauchi State Government for alleged breach of contract agreement.
The Managing Director of the company, Bulus Yohanna Maidawa made this demand in an interview with journalists in Bauchi on Thursday said that the contract was awarded to his company about a decade ago by the Bauchi State Government.
Maidawa said, “What happened is, just about ten years ago we secured a job of construction of drinage with the ministry of special duty under the department of Bauchi state development board after all the due processes, we even paid N300 thousand at that time to the ministry of justice”. He explained.
The Managing director who explained that the contract site was at Ibrahim Bako New extension under Bauchi Local Government area was awrded to his company after following all due processes.
“After convincingly winning the contract bid, we were asked by the ministry of justice to pay N300 thousand and we did. We submitted our bank guarantee, expecting 30 percent mobilization fee but it was not given to us upto today that I am talking to you”. Maidawa narrated.
The Managing director decried that after adhering to all the due processes to see that the contract term is achieved, officials of the ministry at that time were bent on frustrating it for reason best known to them.
“When we were on the procedures, that was during Yuguda time, towards the end of his first tenure and when he came back the second time we met those responsible for the job but they kept on promising us until Yuguda’s second tenure elapsed without achieving anything”. Maidawa recalled.
He added that “when Governor M. A Abubakar came on board, we put some writings through the Commissioner, Ministry of Works because the department was then matched with the Ministry of Works, and the Commissioner gave us two weeks within which we would be paid”.
Maidawa alleged that, all documents to facilitate the payment were made ready but unfortunately the General Manager then, who is now Permanent Secretary took away the documents and hide them.
“The condition was that since we have won the bid for the contract, we would be given 30 percent of the contract sum as mobilization to commence the project if we pay the Government N30,000 but they breached that agreement”, Maidawa said.
He said that upto now the contract is still binding because the state government has not given them letter of termination of contract and has at the same time failed to fulfil its own part of the contract agreement.
Maidawa who said that the contract is still the lawful property of his company insisted that the company must be compensated by the Bauchi State Government.
The company which said it was no longer interested in the contract because it is the same people that are managing the ministry insisted that all they now need is to be paid N30 million compensation.
He said that he has now approached a human right organization for intervention, hoping that the problem will be solved once and for all.
