The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education, Arc. Sonny Echono has revealed that the Federal Ministry of Education owed contractors to the tune of N10 billion in the last eleven years.
The Permanent Secretary who appeared with the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu before the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Tetfund for 2018 budget defense revealed that the ministry has also incurred judgement debts of N140 million.
He lamented that the ministry was overwhelmed with prosecutions by contractors over debts owed them.
Responding to question by Senator Sam Egwu over the ministry’s huge budgetary provision on capital projects for 2018, he clarified that, “the Ministry would defray previous debts with the budget.”
‘We have debts owed contractors since 2007 which the Ministry has been taken to courts. As a result, we have incurred judgment debts of N149 million,” he said.
Senator Egwu added that the Ministry must not sit in Abuja awarding contracts without adequate supervision, saying that government would not condone abandoned projects this time.
Comments