Raising ₦90bn Runway Cost To ₦532bn Unreasonable — Keyamo
The Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, has criticised the contractor handling the construction of the Second Abuja Airport runway for raising the cost from ₦90bn To ₦532bn.
The Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, has criticised the contractor handling the construction of the Second Abuja Airport runway for raising the cost from ₦90bn To ₦532bn.
Keyamo, who spoke as a guest on Channels Television’s Hardcopy programme on Friday, described the variation as outrageous and unreasonable.
According to him, the variation was unreasonable and that was why he had to throw the bid open again.
His words, “As public officers, we must be reasonable because the positions we occupy are positions of trust and positions where people expect you to act with the fear of God.
“So, somebody cannot come and vary a contract and you are seeing like a 700% increase of a runway. How much do you use to build a new airport? That is why I said I will act with honesty and transparency and that’s why I disclosed the figure on the floor (of the National Assembly) that the original figure was N70bn but there was a N20bn, I think for contingency or so.
“And all of a sudden because you said the dollar has changed, the naira value has changed prices have gone up, and all that and now you say N90bn to N532bn. Nobody will accept that and you are pushing it down my throat and I said no.
“I understand now that some letters came in today and that they can now do it at a far cheaper rate and I said why didn’t you say so initially? We are going to look at it."
His words, “As public officers, we must be reasonable because the positions we occupy are positions of trust and positions where people expect you to act with the fear of God.
“So, somebody cannot come and vary a contract and you are seeing like a 700% increase of a runway. How much do you use to build a new airport? That is why I said I will act with honesty and transparency and that’s why I disclosed the figure on the floor (of the National Assembly) that the original figure was N70bn but there was a N20bn, I think for contingency or so.
“And all of a sudden because you said the dollar has changed, the naira value has changed prices have gone up, and all that and now you say N90bn to N532bn. Nobody will accept that and you are pushing it down my throat and I said no.
“I understand now that some letters came in today and that they can now do it at a far cheaper rate and I said why didn’t you say so initially? We are going to look at it."
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