Ondo Motorpark Project: We ‘ll Challenge Your Deceits, Ekimogun Roundtable Tells Rep Member, Abiola Makinde

The Ekimogun Roundtable has threatened to challenge what it described as legislative deceit around all public/constituency projects in the Ondo community. This is in reaction to the public advertisement made by Hon. Abiola Makinde, member, representing Ondo East/West federal constituency, announcing his conjunctive/partnership stake with the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NIBBRI) in a groundbreaking ceremony of a motorpark project in the constituency scheduled for the 24th of August, 2024 in Ondo City.

In a statement released to the media by its acting secretary, Ms Christiana Ayodele, on Wednesday, the group averred that there are clear distinctions between government-fully funded projects and private or joint venture projects, claiming that in the case of the Ondo City Motorpark Project, the Federal Government holds 100 percent equity being the sole financial of the project.
They said Hon Makinde is a serving lawmaker under the payroll of the same federal government, hence whatever legislative input recorded by him is part of his legislative duties as a lawmaker, and therefore, the lawmaker arrogating a conjunctive or partnership stake to himself in a project fully funded by the federal government is illegal and politics taken too far and will not go unchallenged.

‘’Before a conjunctive or partnership stake can be announced, parties must come with equity contributions in an agreeable form.

We, as a people are more interested in the entire procurement detail in terms of source of funds, cost implication, scope of work, bill of quantity and other contract detail rather than such an inexistent stake announced by Hon Makinde.” Ms Christiana said.

The Roundtable further stressed that “politicians should stop acting in a manner suggestive of rendering favour to the people, and Hon. Makinde should be reminded that legislators are not empowered to engage in executive functions in a manner that arrogates project sponsorship or procuring entity functions to them as this amount to clear misinformation.”

“The only entity recognized in an entire procurement process under the country’s Public Procurement Act and as far as this Motorpark project is concerned is NIBBRI, any other conjuctive/partnership arrangement with any person becomes a procurement infraction.” The group remarked.

The Roundtable however commended NIBBRI for its effort of citing the project in Ondo City and assured that Ondo People are accommodating and will continue to support NIBBRI in all its developmental efforts to the City.