Contractors of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) have petitioned different agencies over an alleged unlawful termination of contracts worth N3.2 billion.
The Managing Director of Messrs Taj Print Media Nigeria Ltd, Joseph Abu and 33 other companies whom the commission under the leadership of its former Executive Secretary, James Lalu awarded contracts to supply assistive devices for persons with physical disabilities worth N3.2 billion with a completion period of two weeks between July and October 2024, also led a protest to the headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Abuja over the breach.
The contractors, in their petitions, want the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the supervising ministry, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to save the federal government from multiple litigations and costs arising from the NCPWD’s abuse of office and breach of the provisions of the public procurement law.
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The contractors are contending that while some of the beneficial companies had started delivering the devices at huge financial costs, the newly appointed Executive Secretary, Ayuba Burki Gufwan suddenly announced the termination of the contracts without notice or due process.
In their petition against the Executive Secretary and his Chief of Staff, Abdullahi Ibrahim Tanimu, the contractors alleged a hijack of the commission by external elements outside the commission and the parent ministry.
A petition for investigation dated December 4, 2024 and signed by their lawyers, J. B. Damidami and Jackson Bako Esq alleged that the commission’s action of unlawfully terminating and rejecting the “executions of contracts duly advertised, bided for and won by various beneficial contractors without communication with the respective contractors (was) for the sole aim of reawarding same contracts to his privies, agents and assigns.”
Reacting to the allegation, the Head of Press and Public Relations, Ishaku Kigbu, explained that the contracts were terminated due to irregularities in which the former ES continued to act after his removal as observed by the new ES Gufwan.
He said the decision to revoke the contracts was to ensure compliance with the principles of transparency, fairness, and merit as outlined by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
He said the ‘award letters’ issued to the contractors “do not constitute legally binding agreements”, adding, “The commission’s legal department had not signed any contractual agreements with the contractors, a necessary step for formalizing any procurement process.”
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