Zamfara: APC Accuses Gov Lawal Of Awarding N38 Billion Fertilizer Contract To Himself, Invites EFCC

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Zamfara State All Progressive Congress, APC, has accused the State Governor, Dauda Lawal, of awarding to himself a whopping N38 billion fertilizer supply contract.

The Party also alleged that the contract, which was awarded to Zam-Agro Chemicals, an outfit in which the Governor owns a major stake, was highly inflated .

In a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary Yusuf Idris Gusau, the APC expressed outrage over the spending of over N38 billion by the Zamfara State Government to procure 75 trucks of fertilizer.

According to the APC, going by the contract sum, the fertilizer was purchased at the staggering sum of N855 per bag, representing a whopping differential with  the market value of the products.

The Party insisted that the highly inflated supply contract was awarded to benefit Governor Lawal and other top Government functionaries in the State.

The Party, also, noted that this is not the first time the contracting firm is associated with high wired fleecing of the State through highly inflated contract.

According to the statement, Zam-Agro Chemicals had similarly, in 2022, refused to supply the essential farming input to the State, after fully collecting the contract sum.

The APC said that it is all the more worried about the conflicting signals emanating from Government circles on the actual quantity of the products ordered for.

According to Idris Gusau, while Governor Lawal announced the purchase of 135 trucks of fertilizer, the PDP leadership has insisted that 145 trucks were ordered.

The cacophonic tones, the party maintained, is disturbing and  raises serious doubt concerning the level of sincerity surrounding the entire transaction.

“We calculated that at N38.5 billion the Government purchased the fertilizer at an astonishing N855 per bag.

“This is a clear case of contract inflation. Even if we use the figures provided by the PDP, it would still result in an outrageous price per bag” the party insisted.

However, the APC stated that it is not at all surprised at the antics of the PDP-led State Government which it accused of trying to appropriate the credit for the Federal Government’s. earlier intervention .

According to the party’s statement, the Federal Government had initially provided 70 trucks of the products to the state.

But for the timely intervention of the APC, the PDP-led administration had wanted to join the Federal Government efforts with the 75 trucks it ordered.

The party has, therefore, called on the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, and other relevant authorities to institute a probe into the fertilizer supply contract awarded by the state Government .

This is even as it has demanded that  all established inflated sum of the contract be refunded.