The Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has accused the immediate past administration in the state, headed by Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, of collecting kick-backs from contractors.
Ajimobi said this accounted for why most of the projects undertaken by the past administration has been collapsing.
He thus vowed that neither he nor any of his aides would demand kick-backs from any of the contractors and would-be contractors handling various projects in the state.
The governor, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, said this on Thursday during the flag-off of the reconstruction of Apete and Ayeye bridges.
He had earlier on Wednesday flagged off the reconstruction of the Bodija/Secretariat Road and Ogbere Babanla bridges.
The governor vowed that his administration would not compromise the standard and quality of any project that would be executed in the state during his tenure in office.
Giving a clue to why recently-constructed roads and bridges by the past administration collapsed within few months of their being constructed, the governor attributed it to heavy demand and collection of kick-backs from contractors who in turn took their pounds of flesh on the projects.
He said: “We have many substandard projects in the state because contractors had given bunches of the money to government functionaries as reward or gratification for getting the jobs.
“Most of the roads constructed by the past administration could not stand the test of time. The reason is simple: The bulk of the money voted for the projects were collected from contractors.
“That is why you see some of their roads being washed away almost immediately they were constructed.
“But for us, we will never collect a kobo from any contractor because we don’t want any contractor to have any excuse for not delivering good quality job.
“The contractors should not hesitate to tell me of anybody who demands money or anything from them. There is no room for corruption and corrupt elements in this government.”
Ajimobi expressed regret that so many lives and property were lost as a result of the August 26, 2011 flood disaster in the state, saying that the incident inflicted untold hardship on the people of the state.
He said the reconstruction of Apete and Ayeye bridges was dear to his heart as it would open up the areas for further development.
“We will continue to serve the best interest of not only the residents of Apete and Ayeye but the entire people of the state. This is the first step to many other good things that will be coming to Oyo State,” Ajimobi stressed.
Ajimobi, who expressed regret that the Federal Government had yet to fulfill its promise to the state since the unfortunate flood disaster of August 26, 2011, called on President Goodluck Jonathan to come to the rescue of the state in the reconstruction of some of the bridges and roads affected by the flood.
He said: “President Jonathan was here (in Ibadan) shortly after the flood during which he made a lot of promises, and he meant well but probably because of several commitments, he has not made good his promises.
“So, I am appealing to him and other well-meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of the state so that we can fix some of the roads and bridges, and thus prevent a re-occurrence of the disaster.”
The governor particularly described the Secretariat-Bodija Bridge as very dear to his administration because of its strategic location, adding also that his would be the first civilian administration that would construct a fly-over in the state capital after the ones constructed by the Major-General David Jemibewon administration in 1976.