The Senate has revealed how Officials of Ogun/Osun Rivers Basin inflated the construction of water dams, overhead tanks totaling about N450 million.
Its Committee on Public Account Committee has ordered refund of the money.
The locations of the overpaid projects are Agbado- Isoye Ogun state, Egbado South Local government, Ajinipa in Orire local government, Oyo state, Igan Alade Igua, Yewa North Local government, Panseke in Abeokuta, Asa in Suru-lere local government in Oyo state and many more.
The officials of the Agency, while appearing before the Senate Committee on Public Account, chaired by Senator Mathew Urhogbide, couldn’t justify the allegations of the over payment raised against Ogun / Osun Rivers Basin in the 2016 Report of Auditor General of the Federation.
The committee members were disturbed by consistent overpayment to the contractors by the agency as the officials of Rivers Basin failed to give convincing explaination to issue of overpayment in the various contracts being handled.
For instance, on the construction of Asa Dam, about N58 million was overpaid to the contractor, which the Committee ordered refund.
On the construction of mini–water scheme at Ajinapa, Orire local government in Oyo state, N187 million was over paid to the contractor
Besides ,on the construction of the construction of mini-water supply scheme at Ipetu–Ijesha, Osun State, a total of N37 million was paid for the contingency, compensation, purchase hilux vehicles that was not cited on ground. In addition, N110 million was over paid for the contract of Agbado- Isoye Ogun state
The committee also observed that Toyota Hilux vehicles were purchased and provided for the contractors apart from the money collected for the contracts by the contractors and in addition, contingency fee was paid for all contacts, which put question to the authenticity of the payments made by the agency.