Transport minister: I’m not involved in maritime contract mess

Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, minister of transportation, says he is not involved in any attempt to hijack the award of a lucrative maritime contract.

TheCable had reported how the minister pressured the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), ministry of justice and the presidency to terminate a procurement process and give the contract out to July Seventh Ventures Limited, a company linked to a former governor of Ogun state.

The job in contention is the channel dredging contract by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

In a statement on Tuesday, Sambo said the allegation against him was false, saying some persons are intimidated by his achievements in the ministry and using him to chase clout.

“These allegations are nothing but a smear campaign orchestrated to tarnish my reputation and undermine my work as the minister of transportation,” Sambo said.

“Let me be clear: Since I assumed office as minister in July 2022, my focus has been to meet the high expectations of stakeholders in the transportation sector. I have always acted with honesty, integrity and transparency, in accordance with the law and public interest.

“It is even more laughable for anyone to think that just one man will sit back to award contracts of such a humongous amount. The contract awarding process in the country is quite complex for manipulation. These purveyors of falsehood forget that contract awards under our extant laws and regulations involve rigorous due process, diligence and authorisations by different agencies and levels of government such as the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) among others.

“I am certain some persons are intimidated by our achievements in the ministry within a short time, thus their desperation to drag us in the mud. They are out to use me to chase clout. It is expected that with the transition to a new government, these persons and/or groups may want to target me as a basis to curry favour or seek relevance. Who is indeed afraid of Mu’azu Jaji Sambo?

“Consequently, the public is urged not to fall for this propaganda. Under my leadership, this ministry has executed initiatives to improve the country’s maritime domain as well as the mobility and safety of Nigerians. We have also promoted innovation, sustainability and social inclusion in the transport sector.

“Let me emphasise that I will continue to serve this nation with dedication and commitment till I exit office. And even out of Office, I will remain a loyal and law-abiding Nigerian. I will not be intimidated or distracted by these false accusations, which only seek to divert attention. I am not involved in any (maritime) contract mess. The public should be guided.”

SAMBO’S ATTEMPTS TO TERMINATE PROCUREMENT PROCESS

In a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari dated November 24, 2022, Sambo asked the president to approve the adoption of direct procurement method for the engagement of technical partners for the seaport channels contracts.

In another letter to the president dated April 6, 2023 with reference number FMT/HM/NPA/COR/SH.02, Sambo asked the president to approve the engagement of Messrs Baggerwerken Decloedt En Zoon NV / July Seventh Ventures Limited for a period of 10 years for the dredging of the  Bonny/Port-Harcourt pilotage district.

In a letter dated May 2023 to Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Sambo said “following the termination of an earlier bidding exercise carried out in 2022 on the directive of the BPP after certain errors were observed in the exercise, the FMT/NPA secured approval to undertake a fresh reprocurement exercise on the basis of a direct procurement method”.

Disturbed by the suspicious moves, Red Star Global Construction Limited, one of the pre-qualified companies in the procurement process, had approached federal high courts in Lagos and Abuja separately challenging the attempt to cancel the procurement process.

In a suit filed at the federal high court in Abuja in November 2022, the company asked the court to restrain the minister from cancelling or suspending the “successful transparent international competitive bidding or procurement proceedings”.

The company also asked the court to stop the minister from “engaging in any untransparent selective and restrictive tendering method that is capable of introducing or encouraging manipulation of bids or corrupt practices in the bidding exercise. Red Star Global further asked the court to direct the ministry and BPP to issue the certificate of letter of award to the company.