16th August, 2015
Emmanuel Nanle, the Director of Press and Public Affairs to Plateau Governor Simon Lalong, has said that the governor is yet to award a contract for the renovation of Old Government House, Jos.
Nanle made the clarification in Jos on Sunday following speculations that the governor had awarded a renovation contract of two billion naira for the complex to his brother.
The facility currently houses the Office of the Deputy Governor and General Administration Department.
Nanle told NAN that although the structure needed renovation, no contract had been awarded but that an assessment of the facility was on. “It is a blatant lie, the handiwork of mischief makers and rumour mongers because there is nothing far from the truth than this.
“The contract for the renovation of the Presidential Lodge, an aspect of the Old Government House, was awarded towards the exit of the former administration at the cost of N64 million.
“The scope of the work was basically remediation works, upgrade of the sanitary and plumbing works as well as general condition of the building,” Nanle said.
He said the inherited the contract of which the contractor, Eagle Construction, had been paid N30 million, had yet to be completed.
According to him, the issue is before the governor for review before any action can be taken toward completing the project.
NAN reports that the governor was operating from the Presidential Lodge of Old Government after his swearing-in on May 29.
The governor later relocated to the new Government House on August 5, where his predecessor, former Governor Jonah Jang, used till the end of his tenure.