The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kwara State Chapter, has strongly condemned the recent decision by the Abdulrahman-led Kwara State Government to award three major construction projects to a single company, Craneburg Construction Company Limited, as announced via a press statement after the recent State Executive Council (SEC) meeting.
The Party in a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara (Sholyments) alleged that a single company, Craneburg Construction LTD has been approved as the sole contractor for the construction of Kwara Hotel at the rate of N17.8 billion, the Unity Roundabout flyover at the cost of N8.4 billion, and the reconstruction of Unity Road at the rate of N1,513,528,195.18. This means that Craneburg Construction has been awarded triple contracts worth N27 billion from the Kwara State Government in a single move.
The Party notes that the development is highly suspicious and believes that the said Company was brought by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and imposed as the decision of the Kwara State executive council at a stage-managed meeting where commissioners and other members of the meeting were not allowed to ventilate their opinions.
We make bold to say that this action, whereby a single company that has not undertaken any project in the state before could come from the moon and secure all the construction contracts from the Kwara state government is alien to rationality. Could it mean that there are no other construction companies that possess the required capacity to undertake those projects all over the country?
We challenge Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to provide a transparent explanation for the exclusive preference given to Craneburg Construction Company Limited. Is there any undisclosed relationship or special arrangement between the Governor and the said company? We call on the Governor to come forth and clarify these concerns to ensure accountability and uphold the principles of fairness and equal opportunity.
This is particularly troubling considering that during their campaign in 2019, they pledged to prioritize and support local contractors and ensure they grow the local economy by constantly engaging the local companies. It is therefore unacceptable that the Governor, who prides himself as “Ijoba Mekunu” has now chosen to award N27 billion worth of state contracts to a single company. This decision not only explains Governor Abdulrahman as a man who should not be trusted but also disregards the potential economic benefits that could have been derived from distributing these projects among various contractors.
