Business
BPP Probes Road Contract Award In Edo
The Bureau for Public Procurement, BPP, in the presidency, Abuja may have commenced investigations into the circumstance that led to the award of a multibillion naira road contract in Edo by the NDDC after it refused to grant the commission a valid due process certificate of ‘’No objection’’ in favour of Messrs Caesars Engineering and construction limited for the construction of the Obazogwe Niro-Ikumweke-Idunwebo- Abudu Road in Orihiomnwon Local Council area of Edo State, with the total sum of N2,979,175,643.06.
The BPP decision is sequel to the court order halting further construction work on the road project pending the determination of the matter before the court brought by Messrs. Madona construction limited, Benin. Investigations show that it was the firm of Meaars. Madona construction limited, Benin city, which the BPP granted the NDDC a due process certificate of ‘’No objection’’ for the award of the contract for the construction of the road in the total sum of N2,979,175,643/06, ‘’with a completion period of 18 months, being the lowest evaluated responsive bidder.’’
The BPP also advised the NDDC to ask the contractor to submit a performance bond as a precondition to the contract award, in a decision signed by Messrs. Emeka Ezeh, the Director-general of BPP and five others after sighting such documents as the advertisement for the job, the 2009 appropriation bill, the checklist for project procurement review, bidders bill of quantities, financial bid records, attendance of pre-qualification exercise by contractors, tender evaluation report and drawings.
It was gathered that Messrs. Caesars Engineering and Construction limited tendered sum for construction of the road, was found by the BPP to be wrong and the BPP corrected same bringing the total to N4.7billion.
Source said at the time the NDDC asked the BPP for a due process certificate of ‘’No objection ‘’ for the Obozogwe Niro-Ikumweke-Idunwebo-Iguobodo-Abudu Road in Orhiomnwon Local council area of Edo state, it also did so for such other roads across the state such as the 12.1km Oben-Umogun and the Ulohor/ Ogba link road and bridges.
The BPP denied the NDDC the certificate it asked for in favour of Messrs. A,C, Egbe in the total sum of N3,767, 443,243.80 since its tendered sum of N3,005,182/70 was wrongly computed, it granted the NDDC the certificate for the ward of the contract for their construction of the 122.1km Oben- UMOGUN road with a completion period of 26 months to Messrs Askay construction company limited. In the same vein, the BPP had denied the certificate NDDC asked for in favour of Messrs. Xapon limited in the total sum of N2,191,528,134.14. for the Ulohor/Ogba link road and bridges, as the corrected tendered sum based on the original scope stood at N2,259,683.88. instead it granted the NDDC the certificate in favour Messrs. Jireh Link Nigeria Limited in the total sum of N1,262,915,628.71 with an unspecified completion period for being the lowest evaluation bidders.
Ben-ose Ogbemudia, Benin City
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.