The member representing Oluyole Federal Constituency in Oyo State in the House of Representatives, Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, has denied reports that she inflated the contract sum of a road rehabilitation project in her constituency.
The lawmaker was reacting to reports in the media that she connived with officials of the Federal Ministry of Works to inflate a 45-kilometre road project from N9 billion to N54 billion.
Speaking with journalists today, Akande-Sadipe explained that the Olojuoro, Ijebu-Igbo, Ita Egba, Owonomwen road project was awarded in 2018 with a two-year completion period, but after five years the road has not been completed despite the contractor being mobilized substantially.
Akande-Sadipe further recalled an inspection visit to the site in 2021 with representatives of the Federal Ministry of Works, the Commissioner of Public Complaints Commission and representatives of the contractor, only to discover that the company was allegedly collecting money from communities to fix feeder road culverts which were removed in the course of the rehabilitation work.
The lawmaker however expressed disappointment that she was being blackmailed by the company, which she said failed to meet up with the terms of the contractual agreement, while promising to ensure service delivery as agreed.