Posted on April 3, 2024
The Joint Youth Progressive Alliance (JYPA), a coalition of over 20 civil society groups has once again call on the Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo Olu led administration in Lagos State to investigate the alleged shoddy and incompetence of some companies handling dredging projects on the Lagos Waterways.
The group condemned the practice of a particular dredging company which uses two small dredgers on site which makes it grossly inadequate to create a new channel, especially in such a terrain, despite the huge amount of money estimated for the project.
The contract sum of the project is estimated to be about N5 billion.
Worried by the level of incompetence displayed by the dredging company on site, the civil society coalition is calling on the Governor to swing into action and award the contract to capable hands that will optimally discharge their duties.
A statement by JYPA signed by Moshood Obafemi, Publicity Secretary of the group, said it will be disastrous for such huge amount of money amounting to billions of Naira going down the drain due to some incapable, inexperience and incompetent companies saddled with some responsibilities which failed to discharge their duties optimally.
The group said the Governor should wield the big stick no matter whose ox is gored and award the contract to a capable company that will deliver the needed result.
“At a time when the nation is going through economic downturn, it will be unpalatable to loss billions of Naira just because some people in government want to get contracts through their proxies, by bringing onboard incompetent companies with no experience and track records of executing projects of this magnitude.
“We call on the Lagos State Government to earnestly address the situation and put the right peg in the right hole to achieve good, favourable, fruitful and pleasant results that will be commended by all and sundry”, the statement reads.
It would be recalled that JYPA had lamented the complacency of the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, which has led to the monumental fraud at the Lagos State Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure.
It was alleged by the group that the state Commissioner of Waterfront Infrastructure, Dayo Alebiosu had championed the cause of the incompetent dredging company, who engaged two small dredgers who has been doing a shoddy job on the waterways.
