The Country Director for Accountability Lab in Nigeria, Mr Odeh Friday, has called on Nigerians to always insist on quality jobs from government and contractors in the execution of public projects.
Odeh spoke in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, during a stakeholders forum on Open Contracting and Project Accountability organised in partnership with Ekiti Government.
The initiative, under the UNDP-funded Anti-Corruption and Innovation Project, ACIP, was designed to enhance transparency, accountability and governance in the public projects and improved, quality public service delivery.
The Accountability Lab boss, who also urged government to always provide facilities that will ensure the security of the users of projects being carried out, said,”Twenty-four projects were monitored across education and health sectors of the state and there is the need for improvement.
He said, “We have seen quality of work being done by the contractors.
“Part of the challenges we have observed is how this affect the health and wellbeing of the people, not just the health but also the security in terms of the schools.
“Like some people mentioned, Yahoo Boys and some riffraff who get into the school during school hours to harass not just pupils but also the teachers in the school. The security concern should also be a priority. We are pushing that to the government as an advocacy to see that they address some of these issues not just at the procurement level but beyond the procurement level.
“The citizens engagement is to help citizens build power to not just report as beneficiaries of these projects being implemented by the government but to ensure that the government projects serve them in a way that benefit them and the democracy as well.
“Beyond just the contracting process and cycle for public procurement, just contract award is not enough, but we need contractors and private sector organisations to be accountable and responsible for what they serve the people.
“You can see schools and other facilities where there are no perimeter fence, toilets not in good shape, even health centres. These were awarded by the government to the contractors but we need the quality to serve people.”
Odeh said the organisation was glad the state House of Assembly was represented by the Chairman house committee on due process and SDGs and also pledged their support and commitment to the process
“We also had commitment from the DG , BPP in the state who promised to develop a report for the state government for more engagement with the group. He assured that actions will be take accordingly with the insight provided by our group.”
In his remarks, he Director General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Public Procurement, Mr James Folorunso, has said that the state government is fully
committed to maintaining its leading position in the open contract process in the country.
Folorunso, who noted that Ekiti State Government had carved a niche for itself in the area of transparency in the process of procurement
and contract awards, said government would work assiduously towards
sustaining the tempo.
He said the government has zero tolerance for shoddy jobs and would not accept sub-standard materials from any contractor, in order to enhance durability and maximum use of facilities by the people.
