Metro
Railway contractors tackle Deux projects Ltd over N600m debt
***Ask EFCC to investigate alleged diversion of said amount
Contractors who were engaged to fence Nigeria Railway line from the Federal Capital Territory to Kaduna have protested alleged diversion of N600 million meant to offset their outstanding payments over the weekend.
The contractors who executed various projects from 2017 till date have not been paid for the projects they executed, a situation, they lamented has got them indebted to banks with interest accruing on daily basis.
The angry contractors numbering about 30 explained that they acted as subcontractors to the major company called Deux Projects Limited owned by one Dr. Tunji Olowolafe whom they were relating well with, when the projects were being exevuteduntil the situation went awry after the Federal government paid the CECC, a Chinese Construction company which later paid Deux Projects Limited with the view to pay subcontractors.
The protesting contractors speaking through their leader, Mr Onyekene Chukwu said they have been agitating for the debts owed them without success noting that the Chairman of Deux Projects Limited who is their debtor is an ally of “powers that be” in government circles particularly in the Federal Ministry of Transportation.
Mr Chukwu said: “We worked on Abuja Kaduna railway Deux projects Limited since 2017, 2018, some 2019 and since then till now we are not being paid.
“The main company said they have over paid some contractors and since them they have been promising they will come and pay us. They have been dribbling us since them.
“The other day they called us and their team of engineers did valuation. Almost all of us were captured in the valuation and the Kilometers that we worked were captured. Since they have been turning us up and down, come today, tomorrow and so on.
“We have been coming, we came last week, some from Lagos, Delta, Onitsha, many have died, others are bankrupt.
He said many contractors sold their properties like cars, land to execute the projects only to be deceived.
The worse part he said they worked under most precarious situation as they were probed to being kidnapped adding that after all the sacrifices their paymasters are engaging in hide and seek
The contractors who confirmed to newsmen that the Federal Government has discharged it’s obligations by releasing funds meant for the railway, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to wade in, stressing that Dr Olowolafe who is the promoter of Deux Projects Limited might have been fronting the business for some powerful personalities in government and has no single asset in Nigeria, hence, he could travel out of the country any moment.
“Now we want President Muhammadu Buhari to dig in and know the source of this project and those behind the project to know why we have done the job since 2019 and we are yet to be paid. They have been paid and yet they refused to pay.
“The main contractors are the chisels CCECC they gave this fencing project to Deus Project limited and Deus Project limited subletted to the local contractors
“They gave the contract to Deux Project Limited who subletted it to us under their supervision
“Over N600 million is what they are owing them what they are owing the local contractors. They have collected a lot of money from the Chinese who got the original contract from the Federal Government .
“Instead of them to pay they decided to divert that money to other projects they have elsewhere. Some came from Lagos, from Delta State.
Each contractor related their bitter experiences on the project site amid kidnappings and attacks by bandits, noting that it most painful and undermining of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
In his words, Mr. Raymond Agama a contractor said: “I worked with three different companies as a sub contractor Ascot Consult Nigeria Limited.
“Ascot has been working with them since 2017 and it has done production of blocks, casting and also supply and distribution of coping and laying. What they are owing Ascot is N57 million, it is more than that but that is what their paper says, but let the N57m come out first then we can go back and fight for the balance. I work for DSP as a sub contractor.
“I laid blocks in several kilometers . I work with Rock ways, I did concrete about 5.5km which amounts to about N30.8m, he said he worked with another subcontractor where they are owing him N19.6m. They came with an excuse in 2020 that the main contractor under whom we worked has been over paid.”
Effort to get the reaction of Dr. Tunji Olowolafe whom they accused to have allegedly diverted the money proved abortive as he did not pick his calls neither did he reply to a text message to his phone number 08035605656.
**As thugs loyal to Abure unleash mayhem on LP protesters from Edo
There seem to be no end in sight for the crises in the Labour Party as the Edo State chapter has officially ratified the suspension of the National chairman of the party, Julius Abure.
This was contained in a correspondent to the National Headquarters of the party titled: Ratification. Of the suspension from the membership of Ward 3, Arue, Uromi, Esan North qEast LGA, Edo State.
The letter which was signed by the chairman and secretary of the state chapter of the party, Com. Ogbaloi K.S.E State Chairman and Com. Akhere Frederick respectively and was copied INEC.
The Letter reads,
“Here forwarded to you and for your notification, the ratification of the suspension of Comr Barr. Julius Abure from the membership of Ward 3, Arue, Uromi, Esan North East LGA. Edo State.
“The State Executive Council, Labour Party, Edo State, comprising of the State Working Committee, the 18 Local Government Chairmen and the 18 Local Government Secretaries met on the 24” of May, 2024, at about 11:00pm, to consider the matters presented on the suspension of Comr. Barr. Julius Abure by his Ward in Arue, Uromi, Esan North East LGA, and the upholding of the suspension by the LGA Excos.
“After clinical analysis of the accusation, the Council found them weighty and further ratified and upheld the suspension.
Meanwhile, Thugs suspected to be loyal to the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), on Monday unleashed mayhem on Protesters believed to be LP supporters from the Edo State chapter who were at the party National secretariat to demand Abure’s ouster.
The anti- Abure protesters stormed the party headquarters in a number of vehicles holding placards and chanting solidarity songs.
No sooner than some of the protesters stepped out of one of the vehicles than the suspected thugs swooped on the vehicles with sticks and other objects forcing the drivers to zoom off.
A detachment of armed policemen and operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) intervened when the thugs started throwing stones into the nearby Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, in pursuit of reporters who were convering the fracas.
The intervention of the security officials prevented the situation from further degenerating. A police vehicle is currently stationed in between the warring factions.
By our correspondent
The Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria (KYN) the umbrella body of Kuteb world wide has accused Gen. Theophilus Danjuma ((rtd) of deliberately distorting and inventing new history of Takum Chieftaincy to benefit his tribal people (Chamba)
Chief Emmanuel Ukwen, President General Kuteb Yantso of Nigeria stated this while addressing newsmen in Jalingo on Friday.
The accusation is coming after the recent appointment of HRH Bar. Sopiya Gboshi as chief of Takum who was presented with staff of office by Gov Agbu Kefas to succeed late Ukwe Ali Ibrahim kufang ll who died 28 years ago.
The Kuteb also accused Gen. Danjuma and his associates of making plans to demolish the Takum Central Mosque and the ancestral palace of Ukwe Takum which had been located behind the Mosque.
Chief Ukwen recalled the recent speech presented by Dajuma during the coronation of the newly appointed chief of Takum against the Kuteb and late Ukwe Takum Ali Ibrahim was unjust and unacceptable.
“It is a pity that TY Danjuma referred to late Ukwe Ali Ibrahim as a very bad and terrible chief on flimsy reasons because he was a Kuteb man and a Muslim.
Record have it that late Ukwe Ali ibrahim was an honest and peace loving leader who ruled over the people of Takum from 1963 to 1996 and was adjuged by all as a leader with fear of God.
“We have uncovered a sinister move by Danjuma and his cohorts to force the State Governor to demolish the Takum Central Mosque and the Ukwe Takum Palace which is located behind the Mosque under the guise of Urban development.
“We want the whole world to know that the graves of our late Ukwes who reigned and died are in the palace.
“Any attempt by Danjuma and his cohorts to desecrate the tombs of our fathers will amount to cultural genocide,” he said.
The Kuteb leader also accused Danjuma of preaching peace in the public while he has secretly instigated and funded many crisis in his hometown, Takum.
The very recent was the sponsoring of Fulanis to wipe out over 200 Kuteb villages preparatory to the forceful installation of a Chamba Chief inorder to weaken and silence the Kuteb people in Takum.
“The Kuteb through Ukwe Takum ruled Takum from 1510 to 1996 uninterrupted by any other tribe, how comes Danjuma is forging history that the Kutebs are people from the hills? Ukwen questioned.
Meanwhile, Gen. Danjuma during the convocation of the Chief of Takum described the Kuteb people as troublesome and urged the State Governor, Kefas Agbu to be careful with the Kuteb people.
Forefront recalls that Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria shortly after the appointment of the new chief of Takum, vowed not to recognise the newly crowned chief Sopiya Gboshi from Chamba tribe.
The Kutebs vehemently vowed not to recognise the new Chief and would exhaust every legal means to recover their ancestral stool.
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
Kogi State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the death of five persons in a fatal auto crash on Kabba-Obajana road in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of the state.
The State Sector Commander, Samuel Oyedeji, who confirmed the accident and death of the five to newsmen on Thursday in Lokoja said three others survived the accident with serious injuries.
Oyedeji attributed the accident which involved a Ford Galaxy space wagon and a Mazda car, to speeding and wrongful overtaking.
“The head-on collision between the two cars moving in the opposite directions happened due to speeding and wrongful overtaking by one of the drivers.
“We have been preaching against drivers flouting road safety rules and regulations, yet these motorists hardly heed our warnings.
“Five persons lost their lives in the fatal accident that left three others seriously injured,” he said.
The Sector Commander said that officers from the command immediately carried out a rescue operation at the scene of the accident and rushed the three injured persons to General Hospital, Kabba for medical attention.
Oyedeji said the remains of the five dead persons were also deposited at the mortuary of the Kabba General Hospital.
The Kogi Sector Commander admonished motorists to always endeavour to always obey road safety rules and regulations to avoid fatal auto crashes on the highways. (Ends)
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