Date: 2014-06-04

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.