By David Agba
Abuja
A group of indigenous contractors which executed a number of projects for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) have cried out against the Chairman of the board, Alhaji Umaru Barau Ningi, over what it described as delay in payment for jobs already executed.
The contractors who spoke under anonymity regretted that most of the jobs executed by them in the last two years were yet to be paid for by UBEB under the Alhaji Ningi.
Most of the contracts are funded through counterpart funds under the special grants projects and therefore surprised that these contracts are yet to be paid for. The contractors noted that this is the first time in the history of UBEB that contracts were awarded without the necessary cash backing for its prompt payment.
The contractors are regretting that in spite of the fact that most of them got the contract by “buying” as much as 25 per cent of the contract sum, their monies are yet to be paid by FCT UBEB.
They are alleging that the chairman is collaborating with a finance company based in Wuse II district of Abuja to convert the funds meant for the payment of jobs for his personal use.
According to the contractors, the chairman is busy awarding new contracts to companies with strong ties to him and using the funds meant for the payment for earlier jobs to settle the new contracts.
The concerned contractors are also alleging that most of the new contracts he is awarding were never executed as the monies were diverted to his accounts.
The contractors also stated that they have the records of the contractors the chairman was using to siphon funds for jobs not executed and promised to make them public at the appropriate time.
The contractors said that the chairman refused to grant audience to the association of local contractors who had sought his explanation on the delay in the payment for jobs executed by the local contractors.
The contractors further alleged that the FCT UBEB chairman later invited the Exco of the local contractors where he not only “settled them” but also explained that the non-payment for jobs done were as a result of the fact that the money was diverted by top officials of the FCT for campaign purposes.
