lorin: The administration of the immediate past governor of Kwara state, Dr. Bukola Saraki, penultimate week, came under attack from the major opposition party, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, over some of the projects commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan during his recent one-day visit to the state.

Among the projects are the International Cargo Terminal, International Aviation College, Kwara State University, KWASU, Intra-state Mass Transit Scheme, Asa Dam Water Reticulation Scheme and the Judges’ Quarters at the new GRA in Tanke, Ilorin.

In a statement issued by the ACN caretaker chairman, Mr. Kayode Olawepo, and a leading chieftain of the party, Dr. Ajibola Ajia, the party alleged that two of the projects, cargo terminal and Aviation College, had not been completed but were commissioned and that due process was not followed in the award of the contracts.

The party said: “The contracts were awarded in clear violation of the due process as they did not go through normal tender process as required by the law. Perhaps it is only in Kwara State that government contracts are awarded without recourse to due process, including public tender, proper bidding and approval from the state executive council.”

The ACN has also accused the administration of failing to disclose the amount spent on each of the projects in order to give room for an independent assessment of all claims on such projects by the citizenry for whom the projects are meant.

“It is not enough for any government to roll out the drums in the name of commissioning of projects. The people whose funds are committed to these projects deserve to know how much such projects gulp for them to be able to, where necessary, do independent assessment of the claims regarding the projects,” ACN said.

On the Kwara State University, KWASU, the party described as callous and insensitive the alleged attempt by the administration to increase the institution’s tuition fee of N150,000 for indigenes and N200,000 for non-indigenes, excluding other fees, believing that the alleged move would not only worsen the situation but also further remove university education from the doorstep of children of poor parents.

But the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Alhaji Mas’ud Adebimpe, said all the projects embarked upon by the Bukola Saraki administration were not only tendered, but were also discussed and approved at the state executive council meetings with the costs made public through the mass media.

He said: “All the projects, not only those commissioned, were adequately made public before execution while tenders were also carried out by all affected parent ministries to allow for quality job.”

He described the alleged increase in tuition fee in KWASU as “another selfish imagination of the author”.