By Chigozie Chukwuleta
TheExecutive Chairman of Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), Dr Vera Nwadinobi has said that the Board followed due process in award of contract.
Dr Nwadinobi stated this during a press briefing held in the office of the Chairman, ASUBEB Headquarters, Awka in reaction to a media report about N6.7bn UBEC contract fraud alert.
Recall that a media report had alleged that the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, EFCC others are investigating a N6.7bn UBEC contract fraud alert.
Lack of due process in award of contract by the Board was among the allegations.
According to the chairman, the Board advertised and received bids for the jobs pointing out that all the bids received went through technical evaluation.
” In line with the Public Procurement Act (PPA), we advertised for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 and received over 1000 bids for barely 200 jobs. All the bids received underwent through technical evaluation and those found competent enough were recommended for the next stage of procurement process which is financial bid opening”.
She described the report titled “Soludo’s 2 years: Tension in Anambra as ICPC,. other Anti-Graft Agencies invite ASUBEB Over N6.7bn UBEC Contracts” which alleged that qualified bidders list pasted on the notice board was removed and pasted with political patronage lists as not only fake but against the time honoured principle of fair hearing and balanced journalism.
“This is against the time honoured principle of fair hearing and balanced journalism. Fairness in this instance means that a journalist should strive for accuracy and truth in reporting, and not slant a story so that a reader draws the reporter’s desired conclusion.
“The implication of the foregoing is that it is not true that contracts were awarded to contractors who did not bid for the jobs.
”The financial bid opening was also done publicly after which the most responsive bids were selected for award of contracts.
She accused one Uchenna Ezeani, a staff of the Board for an attempt to hijack the process.
“While this was going on, there was an attempt to hijack the process by a staff of the Board, one Uchenna Ezeani who is the Director, PRS. Before the present board was appointed.
“This young man was holding three strategic positions in the board. He was Director PRS, Director, Procurement and Director, Physical Planning.
“The first position, Director, PRS was the one he earned through normal promotion as a public servant while the rest positions were self arrogated. For several years, he virtually was in charge of contracts and he awarded contracts to whomsoever he wished.
“He was so powerful that everyone dreaded him including past chairmen and members. At the end of the immediate past administration, he was being investigated by the EFCC for abuse of office where he was accused of awarding contracts to companies he personally registered and to his friends and cronies.
“It was our refusal of his attempt to hijack the process as usual that resulted to his writing petitions and using the social media to malign the board and bring its image into disrepute.
”The procurement cadre was newly established in the state civil service following Mr Governor’s insistence on due process in award of contracts.
However, before now the said Mr Ezeani appointed himself as Director of Procurement and Director of Physical Planning. These departments are non existent in the board and yet somebody is working as director of both departments”,
“It is to streamline these positions that we got a waiver from Mr Governor to direct the Head of Service to post procurement officers to the board to ensure that due process is followed in the award of contracts”.
