…keyamo rejects N532b Contract Variation
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has announced that his ministry has rejected a contract variation of N532 billion from the original N90 billion awarded to a contractor handling the 2nd runway of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The contract, which was awarded to the contractor in May 2023, was initially valued at N90 billion, with N30 billion released to the contractor.
However, the contractor allegedly abandoned the project after receiving the payment, citing unacceptable contract variation demands.
According to Keyamo, the contractor is demanding an additional N532 billion, which the ministry has deemed as fraudulent.
As a result, the contract has been revoked, and fresh bids are being called for interested contractors.
The minister made this announcement during a budget defense session with the National Assembly joint committee on Aviation, where he also addressed other issues affecting the ministry.
On the recent decentralization of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, Zaria, despite suggestions from some committee members to discontinue the establishment of Aerospace Universities across the six geo-political zones, Keyamo disagreed, citing the need to decentralize NCAT in Zaria, Kaduna State.
The minister presented the 2025 budgetary proposal of the ministry to the committee, which amounts to N71.13 billion, with N69.2 billion earmarked for capital projects, N1.147 billion for personnel cost, and N745.7 million for overhead.
However, the joint committee has requested that the minister submit full details on the state of 124 projects being executed by the ministry, including their historical background and current status, by next week, before approving the budget proposal.
The Chairman of the joint committee, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari (APC Oyo North), emphasized that the committee needs the full details of the projects to ensure transparency and accountability in the ministry’s budgetary proposal.
The ministry’s budget proposal will be subject to further review and approval once the required information is submitted.
