N30b Street Fencing Contract: “PDP Trying To Distract Us” – Sokoto State Govt

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Sokoto State Government on Friday insisted that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is bent on distracting it from delivering on its promises to the people.

However, it has called on the PDP to exert more energy towards revamping its battered image and seek better ways to reposition itself.

It maintained that the PDP is resorting to peddling  malicious lies which is aimed at inciting the people against Governor Ahmed Aliyu will crumble .

A statement issued by the Governor’s spokesperson, Abubakar Bawa, vehemently rejects PDP’s recent claims that the State Government awarded N30 billion contract for street fencing.

A couple of weeks ago, the State Government and the opposition were engaged in a heated debate over a purported N1.2 billion contract for the renovation of about 25 boreholes.

The PDP had queried the spending of such a humongous sum on the renovation and/or even the construction of 25 new boreholes.

The State Government flatly disputed the opposition’s claim, and dismissed it as “neither here nor there”.

The Sokoto State Government said the accusation of awarding a-N30 billion contract for street fencing in the is yet another of PDP’s orchestrated ploy to distract it .

” First, the Governor Aliyu Government did not award any contract worth N30 billion for street fencing in Sokoto State as maliciously claimed by the PDP in its tale of lies against our dear state.

“The Government also has no plans to award any street fence contract valued at N30 billion

“Therefore, it is in the PDP’s imagination that this contract exist, and as such their call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to probe the phantom N30 billion expenditure is mere academic exercise.

“The facts, as they concern the ongoing urban redevelopment of the State Metropolis ,which is one of the focal points of Governor Aliyu’s administration, is that the State Government awarded a contract valued at N800 million which covers the much needed and necessary wire-fencing of selected major roads/highways within the metropolis.

“The project was primarily awarded to deter people, especially, school children from running across major roads and getting knocked down by speeding vehicles.

“Prior to this ,Sokoto State Capital had recorded preventable deaths from accidents involving vehicles and people running across major roads.

“However, the provision of this preventive facilities across major roads in the state ,has led to reduced rate of accidents involving pedestrians and animals as road crossing are now sequestered to designated points.

“The wire-fencing project is also part of the present administration’s efforts to beautify the city ,which was hitherto filled up with heaps of refuse and darkness, “the statement noted .

The Sokoto State Government said that it is mindful of the fact that the PDP which it accused of directionlessness through out its eight years in power, is not happy with the giant strides of the Government.

“In those eight years ,too, the party failed to take any actions towards upgrading the urban nature of the State capital, neither did it take any positive steps towards upscaling public infrastructure in the state capital.

“We are aware that the PDP couldn’t have done any of these because it was never present among the people as it preferred to govern from Abuja”,  the Governor’s Media Aide stated .