How N75m sports equipment disappeared in Nasarawa State

The ministry took delivery of the equipments in November 2012, after paying the first instalment of N75 million of the N150 million contract package. The contract was awarded after a visit to Vienna in Austria, by a delegation from Nasarawa State government, led by deputy governor, Dameshi Barau Luka, who was accompanied by Daniel Ogah […]

The ministry took delivery of the equipments in November 2012, after paying the first instalment of N75 million of the N150 million contract package.
The contract was awarded after a visit to Vienna in Austria, by a delegation from Nasarawa State government, led by deputy governor, Dameshi Barau Luka, who was accompanied by Daniel Ogah Ogazi who served as commissioner of sports before his disengagement from the cabinet in January.
Weekly Trust gathered that the contract nearly got into hitches because Basry had to contend with certain big interests which sought to inflate the contract to get cuts. Basry was said to have insisted on complying with international best practices in both contract agreement, and execution.
But after the sporting firm delivered the first batch of equipment in all sporting activities including football, judo, table tennis, hockey, handball, basketball, wrestling, taekwondo, boxing and athletics, the equipment disappeared from the stores by early this month.
Weekly Trust also gathered that the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Randolph Para, had on Saturday, February 2 – after the disengagement of the commissioner – directed the ministry’s Director of Finance and Supply (DFS), Mr. Oshafu Yusuf, to release photocopies of contract documents on Saturday to a signatory to the contract.
The directive also saw the ministry opening its stores for inspection of the equipment on that Saturday and the following day – Sunday.
A week later, the disappearance of the equipment was discovered by civil servants who preferred to speak anonymously, exposing the big interest that tried to undermine the project.
Ogazi who presided over the ministry as commissioner, and took delivery of the equipment told Weekly Trust in an interview that “the ministry under me took delivery of the equipment from Basry. At the time I was leaving office, the equipment were intact in the stores. Basry did a satisfactory job and we were happy.
“I am no more at the ministry, and I cannot speak about the equipment anymore. All I know is that they were delivered, and it was in the custody of the ministry till I left office.”
Weekly Trust also sought the comments of the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Randolph, who neither denied nor confirmed the disappearance of the equipment from the stores of the ministry. He only said Basry was yet to make full delivery of the equipment, and so he can only talk when the firm completed delivery.