En Consulting & Projects Limited bid for a consultancy service job with Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has been accepted.
It would be recalled that REA recently advertised a tender for some of World Bank's projects under one of its units, Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), with En Consulting & Projects making a successful bid for a N200m job.
In an invitation letter dated April 5, 2023, from REA to En Consulting & Projects and two others, JV of Boston Consulting Group and Banwo & Ighodalo, for a meeting to close the deal signed by Head, Nigeria Electrification Unit, Uche Hannah, the conference is scheduled for Friday at 11.00 am
“Following your submission of technical and financial proposals for the Consultancy Services for Performance Agreement Review of Successor Distribution Companies, you are hereby invited for a contract negotiation meeting for the assignment”, it reads.
However, an investigation revealed that the process smacked off infractions and conflict of interest due to one of the winning bidders, En Consulting & Projects' connection with the REA MD/CEO, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad.
Recall that an account in the company's name is one of the 37 bank accounts linked to Ahmad's Bank Verification Number, with duplicity in his name in many instances and dates of birth.
A document obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) revealed that the REA boss is one of En Consulting & Projects' promoters.
“It’s illegal for a public officer to engage in any private business, more so to be a private company’s Director, and such an entity in his or her place of work is now awarded a contract. It is an infraction, bordering on a conflict of interests of the highest order.
“The preliminary award of the contract by REA unit to En Consulting & Projects means the mandatory submission of an affidavit by a company applying for government contracts relating that none of its Directors is a public officer was never complied with.
"In fact, it is a self-evident violation of the Public Service Code of Conduct, which throws all civilities out of the window if you consider that the unit, Nigeria Electrification Project in charge of the contract is directly under REA MD/CEO.
“This culture of impunity, nonsense, and recklessness are reasons this country remains in the woods and regressing to a lawless dark nation,” sources acquainted with the contract said.
“Conflict of interest” arises when a person has a direct or indirect interest in or relationship with a bidder that is or may be reasonably perceived to be unethical due to that person's influence or ability to affect the procurement process.
This is the reason the public procurement act provides as follows:
To be eligible to bid for and execute a public procurement contract, every bidder must: accompany every bid with an affidavit stating whether any officer of the bidding company is a former or present director, shareholder or has any pecuniary interest in the contract awarding institution and that all information presented in its bid are true and correct in particulars.
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