TheCable

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the slow pace of the 45km Ijebu-Igbo Ita Ibadan road in Oyo state has summoned officials of the federal ministry of works to appear before it on September 28.

The summon is to explain controversies surrounding the re-award of the road project to another contractor without terminating an earlier contract.

Those summoned include the director of engineering, highways, south-west; director of finance and legal departments.

Kwamoti Laori, chairman of the committee, at the resumed hearing of the investigation, said the probe panel would not hesitate to summon the minister of works if the officials fail to provide clarifications.

Adedamola Kuti, director, highway south-west, ministry of works, had told the committee during its inaugural sitting in September that the contract being handled by DC Engineering Ltd had been terminated since September 2022.

He said it had been re-awarded to two other companies, while promising the lawmakers a copy of the termination letter within 72 hours.

Three weeks afterwards, neither Kuti nor any official of the ministry of works was able to make a copy of the termination letter available to the committee.

Ade Adedeji, executive director of DC Engineering Ltd, told the committee he did not receive any letter of termination of contract from the ministry of works.

He said equipment and workers of the company were still on the project site, adding that the same ministry had certified their work in August 2023.