By Mallam Bashir Musa Sati, State Secretary, APC Plateau State

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State is again compelled to respond to the nuisance of a Faction of the PDP in the State over a recent Statement issued by its Factional spokesperson, one John T. Akans who has raised some spurious, unsubstantiated and concocted Lies in furtherance of his Faction’s elusive search for relevance and in an attempt to bring the Government of Governor Simon Lalong into ridicule and disrepute.

In his usual empty, childish and incoherent rhetoric, the factional spokesperson alleged that “GOVERNOR LALONG TERMINATES N59 BILLION LEGACY PROJECT CONTRACTS OVER REFUSAL OF CONTRACTOR TO SHARE MONEY”.

It is a tragedy that out of a lousy disposition and in a haste to smear the impeccable character of the Governor and to scandalise the present administration in the State, the so-called factional spokesman of the PDP forgot to get even the most basic facts -most of which are already out there in the public domain, right. Despite claiming that his Faction of the PDP had documents at its disposal to buttress his baseless claims, the Factional spokesperson displayed crass ignorance on the genesis and current state of the Lalong Legacy Project. Little wonder, he was only interested in the so-called “whooping N59 Billion figure” for the initial Contract signed between the Plateau State Government and Bleneson Services Nigeria Limited.

It is curious that a so-called opposition Party will be sulking over the termination of the Contract of a non-performing entity instead of commending the Government for taking that bold and right step to amongst others: Save the Commonwealth of the People of Plateau State from plunder ; to ensure that the long suffering Sub-Contractors of  Bleneson, (who are our own Citizens) many of whom have become bankrupt on account of deliberate non-payment for completed milestones, get some much needed reprieve; to ensure that critical Projects including Schools and Hospitals meant for the benefit of our people are completed on time.

Indeed, this Faction of the PDP is shameless and clearly betrays what the PDP’s Philosophy was and is- sharing money and abandoning projects! A Leopard never changes its Skin ! It is clear that the so-called spokesman and other odiously corrupt characters like him that were prominent in the former wheeling and dealing PDP administration in the State continue to see themselves in the Governor and other functionaries of the present administration.

They assume that Governance of the State is still being carried out in the dubious and despicable manner they carried on with “chopping, sharing and looting” while in power!For the avoidance of doubt, and in order not to allow the PDP Faction mislead the good people of Plateau State and other well-meaning Nigerians with their toxic Propaganda, here are a few irrefutable facts about the Lalong Legacy Project and why the relationship with Bleneson Services Nigeria Limited was Terminated – a termination, by the way, that following due process as stipulated in the Contract.1. Bleneson Services Nigeria Limited initially approached the Plateau State Government as an Investor with solid Financial Capacity to finance, execute and deliver the Lalong Legacy Projects and to be paid by monthly installments over a period of 25 years. In other words, Bleneson Services Nigeria Limited came to the State as an Investor and not a Contractor.2. Having commenced, the Company was not forthcoming with adequate Funds to put into the Project as promised and it became apparent that the Company was relying on monthly deductions from the ISPO which was put in place by the State for the purpose of refinancing the Company. All efforts to ensure that it kept its part of the bargain failed even after series of engagements and appeals made to the Management of the Company.3. To salvage the Project, the Plateau State Government decided to source money from the Capital Market through a Bond to fund its refinancing obligation to the Investor turned Contractor, with the State standing as Guarantor.

About 15 billion was secured and kept in an interest yielding account held by the Trustees to ensure the Contractor got refinanced without fail.4. The arrangement under the Contract was for the Contractor to put in his Funds, and be paid on Certificates after Valuation of work done. Government was soon to realise the incapacity of Bleneson Services Nigeria Limited, as the Investor it represented itself to be, to inject funds into the Project.5.  

The foregoing notwithstanding, out of an uncommon determination to see to the successful delivery of  Project, Government decided to still work with the Company for the continuation of the Project. However, this saw to the rescoping of the project from N59 Billion naira to N29 Billion naira in order to allow the Government carry on and complete the Project within the N30,000,000,000 borrowing Ceiling approved by the State House of Assembly. Bleneson Services Nigeria Limited was fully involved in the process and agreed to the reduction of the Project Scope from N59,000,000,000 to N29,000,000,000- the present scope of the Project.

Contrary to the wild and irresponsible claim of the PDP factional Spokesman, a Government that wants to “Share money” with the Contractor, in the ignoble tradition left behind by the past PDP Administration, should have been increasing and not reducing the scope of the Project! Obviously, the actors in this PDP faction are biting their fingers wishing they were in power to declare a sharing bonanza of looting!6. Rather than cooperate with the Plateau State Government to carry out the re-scoped Project, Bleneson Services Nigeria Limited began to drag its feet and employed various delay tactics to stall the progress of the Project.

Again, the Government remained patient and gave the Company more time to do the needful. This only led to more foot- dragging and delays7. After several written Complaints to the Contractor on the unacceptably slow pace of construction work at the Sites, Government was convinced that, since the rescoping of the Project -which, by the way, the Company vehemently resisted because “it was going to affect its expected Profits” -the Company had lost interested in carrying on with the Legacy Projects or completing them.

Nowhere was that negative disposition more evident than in the manner the Company treated her Sub- Contractors who are our indigenes and Citizens and many of whom borrowed huge sums of money to sink into the Project in order to achieve their stipulated Milestones – a precondition for payment, but which the Company consistently failed to pay for, leading many into avoidable Financial ruin. No responsible Government, except perhaps one formed by Mr. Akans and the PDP will accept that Level of ill- treatment of its Citizens.8. In the face of that reality and calamity, an Emergency Stakeholders Meeting was summoned by the Governor and held with Bleneson and the Sub-contractors late last year where the plight of the Sub- contractors was laid bare, with the Contractor promising to turn over a new Leaf.

After several verbal and written engagements with the Managing Director of the Company failed to produce the desired change in attitude, leading to their failure to complete Phase 1 of the Project by 31st December 2020, as agreed, and because the Lalong administration does not have the luxury of time to continue with the game of Musical Chairs the Contractor was Playing with the Project,  added to the grim reality that, at the present pace of work, the Project cannot be completed within the Lifespan of the present Administration, Government had to resort to the last option at its disposal, which is the termination of the contract with Messrs Bleneson Services Nigeria Limited.

This was what led to the issuance of the termination Notice to the Contractor, whose cause the PDP Faction is now championing against the interest of the People of Plateau State. Perhaps rather than calling on Governor Lalong to explain to the people of Plateau State why the Contract was terminated, it is the factional spokesperson of the PDP that should go ahead to put his so-called documents on the Table for the People to peruse. Let the PDP Factional spokesperson give reasons beyond the payment he received for the hatchet Job he is now doing for the Contractor, why the Contract should not have been terminated by the State. And if one may ask, why is the PDP crying more than the bereaved and “taking medicine for someone else’s headache”?  Since the Factional spokesperson says the Contractor has approached the Courts for redress, let him allow the Courts to handle the matter rather than mischievously trying to tarnish the image of the Government in the eyes of right thinking Citizens of the State.Just on Saturday 20th March 2021, Governor Simon Bako Lalong met with Journalists in Plateau State at the Victoria Gowon Auditorium, Government House Rayfield (one  Project amongst many abandoned by the immediate past PDP Government but completed by the Lalong administration) where he assured the Media that the Legacy Projects will be completed within the next few Months.

The Journalists had undertaken a Tour of the Lalong Legacy Projects last month during which they praised the Governor for conceiving the laudable projects which, according to them will change the face of Education and Health Care delivery in the State, but expressed concern at the speed of work in some places. While we await Mr. Akans and his Faction of the PDP to provide the Names and details of those who asked for Monies from the former Contractor, let the people of Plateau State remain at Peace that Governor Lalong, who has completed many Projects abandoned by his predecessors (including the rejected PDP) will not disappoint them by leaving any Legacy Project uncompleted.

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