By Yusuf Mohammed Lawan, Gombe
10th December, 2024
ABUJA - The attention of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) has been drawn to a melicious, misinformed and snear allegations meted against the Commission by some elements and their backers.
In a statement signed and circulated by the Commission's Head of Information and Public Relations, Mr. Ishaku Kigbu, the NCPWD debunked the allegation making round on different platforms on social media accussing the leadership of the commission of involvement in an unfounded #3.2 billion contact scandal.
The statement reads partly:
"The management and staff of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities have been inundated with calls based on a syndicated false story that the NCPWD was enmeshed in an N3.2bn contract scandal"
"Ordinarily, the Commission would have disregarded the barrage of lies targeted at the Commission by these hatchet men and their sponsors, but doing so will amount to allowing the misleading narrative to gain ground among unsuspecting populace"
To buttress his points more clearer, Mr. Kigbu stated "there is, therefore, the need to set the records straight and silence these enemies of the Commission for good"
He noted, "In response to the petition submitted regarding the decision of the parastatals Tender Board taken on 2nd September to step aside all contracts processes that commenced but not concluded, it is imperative to provide clarity and context to the issues surrounding the decision taken"
Kigbu admitted that "It is worthy of note to state that when Hon. Ayuba Gufwan assumed office in August, he convened his first management meeting in order to gain insights into the Commission’s operations and ongoing projects"
"It was during this meeting that the management staff briefed him on the irregularities surrounding certain contracts"
"One curious fact that emerged from the meeting was that contracts were allegedly approved and finalized after the removal of the former Executive Secretary, James David Laluh, who, despite being relieved of his appointment by President Bola Tinubu, refused to hand over to the most senior director as stipulated by civil service practice and continued to act in an official capacity despite his removal and the appointment of a successor" Kigbu added
Tracing the genesis of the improper handling of the alleged contract in question, the NCPWD's Head of Information and Public Relations admitted that "the briefing by the NCPWD's management team further highlighted that the contracts were processed during this transitional period without proper adherence to due process and contractual agreements"
Following these dubious developments that characterized the awards of contacts in the NCPWD witnessed in the past administration, the new leadership of NCPWD under Chief Ayuba Gufwan, according to Mr. Kigbu, deemed it appropriately necessary to come up with an open, acceptable and transpering method of awarding contacts that meets international best practices.
He said "thus, following PTB careful review, consideration, and consultations, they came to a conclusion that continuing with the dubious practice will resort to monumental embarrassment for the Commission"
The statement added "the PTB then approved that the contracts be revoked and the process undertaken afresh with due process and strict adherence to contractual tenets"
He also said, "this decision was also made to ensure compliance with the principles of transparency, fairness, and merit as outlined by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP)"
"It is important to state that in all of these, there were no binding legal agreements whatsoever between the Commission and these so-called contractors, and neither did their 'award letters' cited in the petition constitute legally binding agreements"
Again, the NCPWD in the statement it released to the public dared those spreading falsification against the commission to present to the public thier legal evidence showcasing any contract agreement reached between the Commission and the so-called contractors, which, according to the Commission they have failed woefully to do so.
The statement noted, "moreso, the Commission’s Legal Department has repeatedly said it had not signed any contractual agreements with these contractors. The Commission has always maintained this stance and had also dared the contractor/contractors to produce a legal document indicating any binding agreement between it and the contractors. But curiously, for about three months now, they have been unable to produce any to justify their claims and rantings"
"The question is, why is it difficult for them to produce a simple legal document that is binding on the Commission to prove that they sealed any contract with the Commission?"
"Let the person(s) alleging show evidence that the Commission entered into any committment with them regarding award of contracts"
"Rather than throw money around to sponsor protests and syndicate sponsored write ups with screaming headlines in newspapersand the social media, he or they should save Nigerians this cheap drama and blackmail to produce a legal document that is binding on the Commission regarding the contracts they are crying wolf about"
"It is even laughable that a certain Taj Print Media company will be brandishing a contract award letter for the procurement of assistive devices for Persons with Disabilities. One cannot help but wonder where they got the expertise from"
"The man, Abu Sunday running helter-skelter over this issue, is a close ally of the former Executive Secretary and a front in this shaddy deal. It is thus not far-fetched to allege that the mastermind of all these blackmail and underhand tactics is the immediate past Executive Secretary of the Commission. And the ploy is to simply distract him from performing. Incidentally, TAJ prints has only N100m in the said suspended job. Where is the amount of N3.2b coming from?"
"Nigerians are not stupid to buy this poorly orchestrated drama"
"This same characters have been at this since October. They sent petitions to some agencies of government to no avail because these agencies after careful examination of the issues discovered that the Commission has no case to answer. So, this latest antics is only the last kick of a dying horse"
"As for the continuous defamation of the character of the Executive Secretary, the matter has been formally reported to the appropriate government apparatus for urgent and necessary actions"
"The world over, legal documents binding on both parties are a necessary step for formalizing any procurement process, and in this case, there is none"
"As for the NCPWD, it values its partnership with stakeholders and remains dedicated to its mission of improving the lives of persons with disabilities across Nigeria"
"The Commission's leadership under Hon. Ayuba Gufwan is resolute in fostering trust, accountability, and excellence in service delivery and would not be distracted by elements bent on working against reforms he started in the Commission" the statement concluded
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