Amaechi foisted non-performing firm on ill-fated Monorail project--- witnesses

(Nigeria) Former Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, has been accused of unilaterally dissolving his State Executive Council to compel commissioners to accept his choice of a non-performing company for the ill-fated Monorail project, which has gulped N33.9billion for its downgraded Phase 1A for slightly about four kilometres as against the original design of the Phase 1 which spans over 12kilometres.

Director of Safety and Aviation at the Rivers State Ministry of Transport, Engineer Saya Antioch told the Justice Omereji-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry Investigating the  Amaechi administration over the sale of valued state assets and other matters on Thursday  that the former governor sacked all his commissioners because majority of them insisted on an American Company, Urbanord for the construction of the Monorail, while Amaechi insisted on TSI, a company managed by Colonel Anthony Ukpo (retd), a former military administrator of the state.

He said that that session of the State Executive Council meeting lasted three days.

According to the director, who said he was at the executive council meetings in technical capacity, Urbanord’s presentation was backed by a guarantee that if it failed to deliver the project in two years, it would effect a refund to the Rivers State Government.

The American company placed a bid of N25billion, 50 percent less than the N50billion bid that the former governor foisted on the reconstituted State Executive Council with the acceptance of TSI, under a public private partnership.

Speaking further, the director informed that the commission that former governor acted against the advice of the manufacturers of the Monorail, who noted that elevated platforms were outdated.

He said that the governor said he preferred elevated platforms with pillars rather than the suggested underground monorail because he wanted people to physically see the project.

Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Transport, Mrs Stella Wigwe said that the public private partnership arrangement reached between the Amaechi administration and TSI indicated that the state government was to contribute 20percent while TSI was to pay 80 percent of the project cost.

Wigwe said former Governor Amaechi ensured that the state government paid N11billion slightly above the 20 percent agreed in the memorandum of understanding to TSI, while the benefitting company made no payments whatsoever.

The Permanent Secretary said despite the payment of the N11billion without the participation of the state Ministry of Transport, the arrangement with TSI failed woefully and the state lost her investment.

She added that the state government went ahead to appoint Archus Gibb, a South African Company without experience in Monorail construction, the  project consultant for the Rivers State Monorail project.

According o her, the Ministry of Transport was used as a mere conduit in the payment of N22.9billion to the South African firm, while Archus was to receive N660million for its services and N36.3million monthly as engineering services.

She submitted that considering that N50billion was budgeted for the entire Phase 1, expending N33.9billion for Phase 1A, which is less than 30percent of the original budgeted design is unjustifiable.

She informed that six trains and two switches were allocated for the Phase 1A, but on ground in the state is just one train with no switch as the Amaechi administration constructed only one track. She said the other five trains are in Europe.

On Thursday, Justice Omereji encouraged members of the public who came to witness the sitting of the commission to contribute, saying that the commission was on a fact finding mission.

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry adjourned to Friday as the Former Accountant General of the State, Mr Ngozi Abu through his counsel informed that he was not around to testify.  The former Accountant General will appear on Friday.