Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The era of awarding contracts without due process should be considered over in Abia State, as Governor Alex Otti has warned Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, to ensure strict adherence to financial regulations in award of contracts for capital projects.
The Governor who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Due Process and Procurement, Dr Oluebube Chukwu, said Government would no longer tolerate any abuse of due process in all its contracts.
He warned MDAs to strictly adhere to annual budget estimates for capital projects as approved by the State House of Assembly.
Dr Chukwu spoke at a parley with the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Philemon Ogbonna, and members of the Management team of the Ministry who came on a fact-finding interactive meeting in the Due Process office at Government House Umuahia.
He said that Otti’s administration had serious respect for due process, and would not tolerate any violation or abuse of the state budget by any MDA.
The SSA who underscored the importance of budgetary adherence, however, commended the Ministry for its commitment to adherence to financial regulations.
He declared that the era of unregulated projects exceeding MDA’s thresholds without adhering to the necessary due process procedures had come to an end.
According to him, such gross abuse led to financial wastage and misappropriation of Government funds, orchestrated by individuals with malicious intentions against the state.
He outlined stringent Due Process procedures that must be strictly followed by all MDAs which must include the Ministry’s Tenders Board conducting preliminary checks on projects and contractors, and the issuance of a Certificate Of No Objection to successful contractors.
“Governor Alex Otti’s administration has jettisoned any form of shortcuts and practices that have impeded development in the state, and has made it mandatory for all contracts to be executed by all Ministries and Agencies to pass the Due Process tests.
“For any Project to be executed in the state, the Ministry’s Tenders Board, after publishing adverts for bids, will conduct all necessary pre-qualification, preliminary checks of the Project and the Contractors, and will forward the details of the successful Contractor to Due Process Office, who will at that stage, issue a Certificate Of No Objection to the successful Contractor.
“For Capital projects above the threshold of each Ministry, the Due Process Office will forward the Contract documents to the State Finance and General Purpose Committee (F&GPC), who, after satisfactory checks, will issue a recommendation letter to the Due Process Office.
“The Due Process Office then prepares the Due Process Compliance Certificate in company with the Recommendation Letter from F&GPC, which will be forwarded to the State Executive Council through the State F&GPC, and receives approval from them, before sending it back to the MDA.
“The MDA then forwards it to the Ministry of Justice for vetting, agreement, and other official actions. The contract documents will finally be brought back to the Due Process Office, who issues the Due Process Certificate, authenticating that required steps were taken in line with approved standards,” Chukwu explained.
He noted that the Due Process office, with the directive of the Governor, “is building a data bank of all Government Registered Contractors in the state,” and urged Ministries executing projects in the state to liaise with the Due Process Office for easy assessment.
Chukwu disclosed that his office would soon embark on a performance review programme of all government projects in the state, to ensure quality compliance.
Responding, Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ogbonna, expressed commitment to aligning with the State Government’s approved standards in contract awards and formalities.
He commended the SSA for his guidance on current contract award trends, and assured that the Ministry of Environment would ensure strict compliance with all the required processes.
Ogbonna said his Ministry “is ready to lead by example.”
