January 15, (THEWILL) – The Ebonyi State government, led by Governor Francis Nwifuru, has denied allegations that it awarded a N4.1 billion project without a bidding process.
Reacting to an online publication that claimed the project was awarded without the required bidding, the State Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Mr. Jude Okpor, described the report as baseless, unresearched, and misleading.
He accused the media outlet of publishing lies and half-truths without adhering to journalistic ethics.
“Inasmuch as we do not believe the report warrants a detailed response, we must address it briefly to reassure the public, whose sensibilities may have been insulted by the misleading headline,” Okpor stated.
He further criticized the online platform, claiming that its reporters were engaging in deliberate mischief, concocting unfounded stories in the absence of credible content.
“We have monitored the activities of some of their reporters and concluded that they are mischief-makers. They consistently publish subjective, unverified reports, misrepresenting facts without any regard for journalistic standards,” Okpor added.
He reassured that such attacks would not distract the current administration, stressing that the government remained focused on its mandate despite the criticism.
The commissioner clarified the procurement process, stating that the report’s claim of an uncompetitive tender was unfounded. Okpor explained that in an open tender process, the state does not select companies to bid but instead invites all companies to participate.
He emphasised that the tender for the project in question was publicly advertised for 30 days on the state’s e-Procurement system.
According to the Ebonyi State Public Procurement Law (2020), if only one company submits a bid and the bid is deemed responsive, the company can be awarded the contract.
Okpor noted that the procurement was carried out in full compliance with the law, and no violation occurred.
He also pointed out that the report acknowledged that different companies were awarded the various school projects.
“The Bureau of Public Procurement did not cancel the process, as single bid submission does not warrant such cancellation. The projects were awarded based on the responsive bids that were received,” Okpor explained.
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
