A Non Governmental Organisation, Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity, has debunked a report alleging that the Ekiti State Government awarded contracts worth N6.668 billion to Permanent Secretaries for direct execution.
In a release issued by CCDI on Friday titled “Clarifying the Facts: Ekiti State Government’s Compliance With Due Process in Airport Contracts” and signed by its President, Olufemi Aduwo, it said the allegation of awarding contracts to Permanent Secretaries for direct execution was “entirely untrue, deceptive and a gross distortion of reality”.
CCDI said, “It is crucial to categorically state that no contracts were assigned to Permanent Secretaries for personal execution. Instead, the senior civil servants mentioned in the report acted strictly in their official roles as designated financial supervisors within the relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) responsible for managing the projects.
CCDI said the procurement process for these projects was carried out in full adherence to the Ekiti State Direct Labour Procurement Law, a well-defined legal structure designed to foster transparency, accountability, and responsible financial governance in public sector expenditure.
“This legislation guarantees that procurement activities comply with stringent financial scrutiny while ensuring cost-effectiveness in project execution. At no stage were these contracts turned into private transactions by any government official.
“The use of direct labour procurement is a widely accepted and legally sanctioned method, adopted by both federal and state governments in Nigeria and globally. For instance, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), a national government body, routinely employs direct labour for road maintenance projects. Similarly, such procurement models have been successfully utilised in the United Kingdom, including in Scotland, where I personally observed government agencies conducting direct labour infrastructure repairs in 2016. To unfairly condemn Ekiti State for applying a lawful and cost-saving approach is not only misleading but also reflective of a growing pattern of reckless journalism aimed at undermining effective governance.
“The Ekiti State Government, under the leadership of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, remains dedicated to honesty, meticulous oversight, and the judicious use of public resources. Attempts to discredit the administration with unfounded and misleading claims are not only unjust but also undermine the integrity of responsible journalism. We call on the public to disregard such falsehoods and advocate for ethical reporting based on verified information rather than conjecture and politically motivated narratives”.
