By Victor Nwegede
Ebonyi State government has denied awarding N4.1bn projects without observing the bidding processes to make the projects competitive.
The government was reacting to online publication that it awarded the sum of N4.1bn projects without bidding process.
The Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in the state, Jude Okpor described the online media report as self-conceived, subjective and unresearched report designed to dish out lies and half truths to the public without recourse to the ethics of journalism.
"In as much as we do not regard the report as deserving of our diligent response, we wish to make few comments in order to assuage the reading public whose sensibilities may have been insulted by the obviously mischievous headline.
"The State Government has over some period of time, followed the reports and some clandestine activities of some of the reporters in the organisation and have come to a conclusion that the online media organization reporters are deliberate mischief makers who for want of news content dabble into self-conceived, subjective and unresearched reports, dishing out lies and half truths to the public without recourse to the ethics of journalism.
"We simply wish to assure them and their pay masters that their incessant media attack on Ebonyi State Government tantamounts to effort in futility as the present government can never be distracted by such infantile diatribes.
"The online media organization in the report, alleged that multiple companies were not chosen to bid for the projects. Such allegation is unfounded because it needed to have been lectured that in Open Tender, the state does not chose or select companies that will bid. All companies are allowed to submit bid for the project. It's only in selective tender that the state chooses companies that will participate in the tender. On the projects in question, the procurement method used was open tender.
"The tenders were advertised for 30 days on the state e-Procurement system, and if only one company paid tender fees and submitted a bid, that company can be awarded if their bid is responsive. Section 35 (2a) of the Ebonyi State Public Procurement Law (2020) specifies provisions to re-advertise a tender, and single bid submission is not among the conditions that should warrant re-advertising a tender.
"According to the State Public Procurement Law (2020), the Bureau of Public Procurement is not required to cancel the Tender process if only one company showed interest/ submitted bid for an open tender that has been advertised. In this case,the BPP proceeded with the evaluation and award of the project because the bids submitted were responsive.
"Good enough, the reporter in the report recognized that all the school projects were not awarded to only one company but different companies for each.
"It is on record that Government business in Ebonyi State, including procurement processes under the administration of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has gained multiple commendations from various reputable organisations such as the World Bank, USAID-State to State and State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS). We are emboldened by these recognitions as one of the best states that have enthroned transparency, accountability and effectiveness in her e-procurement and other governance processes in line with global best practices.
" It is our sacred commitment to continue to conduct all our affairs with the principles of open governance as enshrined in our manifesto: "The People's Charter of Needs," and no amount of mudslinging will ever cajole us to deviate from our set standards or eclipse those facts which have placed Ebonyi as a model from which other states subscribe to learn", Okpor said.
