ENL Consortium Limited has said that it has warned the new contractors against taking up the Ibadan Circular Road project adding that any attempt to break the law will be resisted.
The company also added that Governor Seyi Makinde’s action is detrimental to the development of the state because those working on the project are locals and have been rendered jobless.
Insideoyo.com recalls that the Oyo state approved the award of the contract for the construction of the 110km Ibadan Circular Road to a new concessionaire named Messrs SEL-Vydra Consortium, at the cost of N138.2 billion.
Chief Moyo Adewuyi, while Speaking for the company on Thursday asked how will the Governor after saying he saved N100bn from rewarding the contract now asked the House of Assembly for approval of N100bn loan out of which N25bn will be for the road.
His words: “We have warned the new contractors to beware because any attempt to break the law will be resisted by ENL, who is the legitimate contractor of that project.
“The governor said in re-awarding the contract, he saved N100bn for the state. How did he arrive at this calculation for a contract that was awarded in 2017 when a bag of cement was sold for N2500 and iron rod was sold at 180, 000 per tones now that iron road goes for between 360, 000 to 400, 000. Do you have your own iron road or cement company. This is just political gimmick to frustrate the project and hoodwink the good people of Oyo state. How will a governor that said he saved N100bn from re-awarding a contract now ask the state assembly a request for approval for N100bn loan, out of which N25bn will be for the road. Why will you borrow money for a contract from which you claim to have saved billions?
“He promised to deliver the Ibadan Circular Project in 2023, if he does that, it will be the fifth wonder of the world.
“His action is detrimental to the development of the state because those working on the project are locals and he has rendered them jobless. We want to emphasise that this lawlessness will not be allowed to pass and that is why we have warned the new contractors that government is a continuum, even after this administration, the issue can still be raised”
The company also added it has expended personal funds for bush clearing, compensation to land owners, asphalt laying, networks and rock blasting adding that it will not allow itself to be frustrated by any political gimmick surrounding the project.
The company reiterated that it remains the lawful and subsisting concessionaire of the 32 kilometre East End Wing of the107-kilometre proposed Ibadan Ring Road, popularly known as the Ibadan Circular Road, as stated in the terms of concession agreement of August 25, 2017.
“The company has suffered lots of embarrassment; we are still paying for security because our equipment is still on site. The governor’s action is detrimental to the development of the state because those working on the project are locals and he has rendered them jobless. We want to emphasise that this lawlessness will not be allowed to pass and that is why we have warned the new contractors that government is a continuum and this administration cannot be vindictive in its actions.
“He has stalled progress on that project or the past eight months and refused our demands; we did not demand for money because it is a PPP project and is contractor financed, what we requested was for a letter of consent that the company will be allowed to continue with the project, he first promised and then reneged for no just cause than the fact that it was commissioned by his predecessor.
“We are not allowing this to slide; the project should not be made to suffer for personal reasons. He did the same to the Akobo way which Ajimobi awarded to us, though that was government financed, we were on site laying asphalt the day it was revoked and we still have about N225m outstanding to collect. The governor must face the art and science of governance and stop unnecessary battles. We will handle this through the instrumentality of the law and this will begin soon because we have been libeled as a company,” ENL said.
