The Federal College of Freshwater Fisheries Technology, located in New Bussa, Niger State, paid N917 million for medical supplies, tricycles and security vehicles to communities in Lagos and Ogun in March.

EQ found on GovSpend, a website replicating the Open Treasury Portal, that this institution of learning made payments totalling N917,831,726 for 11 projects in other states.

The college was founded in 1978 as a tertiary institution under the National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR) to be “the leading tertiary educational Institution in Nigeria” for research, training and entrepreneurial development of senior-level, middle-level and junior-level manpower that will be proficient in fisheries, food, agricultural technology, hospitalities and allied disciplines to meet the national demand for food security.

READ ALSO: How National Cereals Research Institute Made Questionable N141.445m Payments to Najah Consult in One Year

However, these payments that sum up to almost a billion naira were made for projects outside the spectrum of what the Federal Ministry of Agriculture’s subsidiary was set up for.

The institution, which is over 500 kilometres away from Lagos and Ogun State, made payments to different companies for the provision of infrastructure development, medical supplies, hospital equipment, minibuses, tricycles and security vehicles for communities in Ogun and the Ikeja federal constituency.

On March 12, the college made payments totalling N585,129,010.3.

Two of these payments made on March 12 were for the provision of tricycles in Ayetoro, Ado Odo, Agada, and Imeko Afon in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State. Dratot Limitless Company Limited and EST Source Solutions Limited received the payments.

The college also paid N86,893,457.11 to Donedeal Projects Limited for the provision of security vehicle facilities in selected areas of the Ikeja federal constituency. Areas in Ikeja where the security vehicle facilities were provided were not stated, which makes tracking this project very difficult.

EQ also found that N152,052,608 was paid to Pramkas Global Limited for the provision of “infrastructural development” in Ilaro and Ota communities in Ogun on March 12.

These payments did not end there.

READ ALSO: 3 Years After It Was Built With N51.99b, Kano-Maiduguri Highway Splits Into 2

On March 21, payments totalling N128,921,128 went to El Hosp Diamond Limited for the provision of medical supplies, drugs and equipment for hospitals and healthcare in Erinja and Ibese Communities, as well as the provision of security vehicle facilities in some selected areas of Ikeja Federal Constituency.

Dratot Limitless Company Limited

800 Cards Limited

EST Source Solutions

Pramkas Global Limited

Donedeal Projects Limited

Alpuba Services Limited Abuja

Akgen Solution Limited

El Hosp Diamond Limited

Techtap Consult

Learsi Innovation Works Ltd

The details of the payments made between March 12 and 30 are detailed in the table below:

DATEAMOUNTCONTRACTORPURPOSEMarch 12, 2024₦86,893,457.11800 Cards Global LtdBeing payment approved for the supply of various empowerment materials in Ibese and Ijana.March 12, 2024N86,903,268.75Dratot Limitless Company LimitedBeing payment approved for the provision of tricycles in selected communities, Ayetoro, Ado Odo, Imeko Afon in Ogun State.12 March 2024N86,903,268.75Donedeal projects limitedBeing payment approved for the provision of security vehicle facilities in selected areas of Ikeja Federal Constituency.12 March 2024N86,903,268.75EST Source Solutions LimitedBeing payment approved for the provision of tricycles in Ayetoro and Agada communities.12 March 2024N152,052,608.82Pramkas Global LimitedBeing balance of payment approved for the provision of infrastructural development in Ilaro, Ota, Ogun state.19 March 2024N86,921,210.07Alpuba Services Limited AbujaBeing payment approved for the provision of tricycle in selected communities in Ayetoro, Ado Odo and Imeko Afon in Ogun.12 March 2024N85,473,138.12Akgen solution limitedBeing payment approved for the provision of medical supplies, drug and equipment for hospitals and healthcare centres in Itele communities21 March 2024N43,451,634.38El-hosp Damond LimitedBeing payment approved for the provision of security vehicle facilities in selected areas of Ikeja Federal Constituency21 March 2024₦85,469,493.80El-hosp diamond limitedBeing payment approved for the provision of medical supplies, drugs and equipment for hospitals and health care centres in Erinja and Ibese communitIes. 22 March 2024₦85,468,283.37Learsi Innovation Works LtdBeing payment approved for the provision of medical supplies, drugs and equipment for hospitals and health care centres in Imeko communities.30 March 2024₦31,392,094.50Techtap ConsultBeing part payment approved for the provision of mini buses in Ebute and Afon communities

COLLEGE, CONTRACTORS MUTE OVER STATUS OF PROJECTS

On August 14, EQ emailed the provost and the bursar of the college for answers concerning these questionable payments made by the institution in March, but they did not respond.

EQ also emailed the companies that received payments for the projects listed above, but only Dratot Limitless Company responded.

READ ALSO: Despite Getting N7.3b Ecological Fund, 12 States With Flood Hotspots Used Only N3.6b for Environmental Projects

In his response, Ekundayo Oyekan of Dratot Limitless Company told EQ to contact the college “to release every information about the tender process up till execution”.

Ekundayo Oyekan of Dratot Limitless Company tells EQ to contact the college for every information about the tender process up till execution.

On Tuesday, EQ also called the companies on the telephone numbers provided on the Bureau of Public Procurement website. Donedeal Projects Limited Limited had no phone number on the BPP website, so EQ could not call them.

The mobile numbers of Dratot Limitless Company Limited and Alpuba Sources Limited were unreachable, while the phone number of EST Sources Limited was busy when EQ called. Pramkas Global Limited did not respond to phone calls.

When EQ contacted 800 Cards Limited, a female staff who answered the call responded to EQ rudely.

“I don’t owe you any explanation. I have no contract with you and do not owe you an explanation,” she said and hung up.

When contacted, El Hosp failed to disclose the status of the projects and told EQ to visit the communities in Ogun and Ikeja to confirm if the projects they were paid to do had been completed.

According to BudgIT, over 2,558 projects valued at N624 billion were allocated to agencies outside their mandate in the 2024 federal government budget. It referred to these as suspicious allocations.

This case of the Federal College of Freshwater Fisheries Technology, New Bussa, is just one of many.
The post College of Fisheries in Niger Spent N917m in March. It Was for — Guess What — Tricycles, Security Vehicles in Lagos, Ogun appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.