The chairman of the committee to determine the status of ongoing projects and those in the pipeline in Kaduna State, Sani Sabiu, has said that the statement attributed to him that some contractors in the previous administration received payment and abandoned projects in Kaduna State was incorrect.
In a statement he personally issued, he said: “My attention has been drawn to a statement circulating in the media that quoted me as stating that some contractors in the previous administration received payment and abandoned projects in Kaduna State. I wish to clarify that I was misquoted and my statement was completely taken out of context.”
According to him, the primary mandate of the committee is to determine the status of ongoing projects and those in the pipeline, adding that this is necessary in order to ensure the speedy completion of all priority projects in the state.
He explained that he shared with the media information on the extent of work on some of the projects and contractors’ views about what is required to speedily complete the projects.
Sabiu avowed that the statement credited to him that some contractors collected payments and abandoned their projects was incorrect.
He stated that the committee visited some project sites on Friday, July 14, 2023, and at the end of the visits, he addressed the media on the committee’s mandate, their findings so far, and the next steps.
The chairman stated that the committee was amazed by the number and quality of projects so far completed, that several projects are at completion level with some requiring minimal funds to complete, and that some were being delayed due to ongoing compensation issues, especially where some residential areas are affected.
He explained that some contractors even did more work than the value of advance payments made to them and expressed hope that the report would guide the government in prioritising some projects and speedily completing them in fulfilment of its promises to the people of the state.