The Kwara
State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has dismissed claims of contract
inflation regarding the five recently upgraded hospitals in the state as
untrue, stressing that any variations were appropriated in the 2013 and 2014
budgets.
Governor Ahmed
said the initial figure of N1.4b, which the government announced, was for the
rehabilitation of physical structures at the hospitals and did not include the
state-of-the-art equipment, stressing that the PDP was being anti-development
in its stance, according to a statement by his senior special assistant on
Media and Communication, Dr. Muyideen Akorede.
‘The
original estimate which the government announced was for rehabilitating the
physical structures at the hospital. Obviously, the cost of equipping the
hospital with the most modern equipment will be separate and must be added to
the final cost of turning all five hospitals into ultra-modern health
institutions for the benefit of the people of Kwara State.
“In
addition, the scope of work at some of the five general hospitals, especially
Ilorin General Hospital, was expanded, resulting in an increase of the
published contract figure. However, the final cost of remodeling and
rehabilitating all the hospitals as well the modern equipment were budgeted for.
“In the 2013
budget, N1.3b was budgeted for the renovation and equipping of all five general
hospitals while N2, 020, 000, 000 was budgeted in the revised estimate of the
same year. As the equipping of the hospital is on going, the government is
still spending budgeted funds on the hospital”.
“This is a
government committed to high-levels of transparency and advocacy in line Shared
Prosperity and has consistently and clearly communicated projects and cost
implications to the good people of Kwara State. Today, every well-intending
Kwaran is proud of Ilorin, Offa, Shared, Omu-Aran and Kaiama General Hospitals.
Only anti-people and anti development political party will seek to
politicize these laudable projects or misinform the public about information
that is in the public domain”.
“While
setting the record straight on these fallacious allegations of contract
inflation, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed remains focused on creating additional
people focused policies and projects such as the employment of 5200 youths
under Quickwin, the rehabilitation of an additional five general hospitals,
expanding road networks and empowerment of the people and refuses to be
distracted by the anti-people and anti-development tendencies of the PDP in
Kwara State”