Christopher Anyasi
Hon. Philip Agbese, the Deputy Spokesman for the House of Representatives, has raised concerns about the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi’s plan to import construction equipment worth €1.2 million to rehabilitate the Eko Bridge in Lagos State.
In a recent statement, the Minister announced the need for €1.2 million worth of equipment to carry out repairs on the Eko Bridge. Agbese, speaking on the executive and legislative relationship during an interview on MaxFM in Lagos, expressed his reservations about such a significant expenditure for a single bridge.
Agbese urged the former governor of Ebonyi State to provide more transparency about this arrangement, as he questioned whether the Minister should personally oversee the importation of the equipment needed for bridge repair.
He said, “As lawmakers with oversight functions, we find it shocking that the Minister of Works, Engineer David Umahi is talking about importing equipment to fix Eko Bridge. That singular declaration set off alarm bells.”
Agbese posed several critical questions: Is the equipment exclusively for the Eko Bridge, or can it be used for other bridges in need of repairs? Has the €1.2 million for the equipment been properly budgeted and appropriated? Why is the Minister handling the equipment importation for a bridge that might be awarded to a contractor?
“Is that exercise the best use of government time and taxpayers’ money? Will the proposed importation comply with the Procurement Act? Is there compliance with existing legislation of the land? These are just a few of the questions that the Minister has to answer,” Agbese emphasized.