The Kwara State Government has denied claims by the Abdulrahman Abdulrazak Campaign Organisation that it is funding politicians through its Infrafund Kwara, which is sourced from Internally-Generated Revenue.
In a statement issued in Ilorin, the state capital, the State Government denied the claims as false and challenged the campaign organization to provide any proof to back up its unfounded allegations.
According to the statement signed by Dr. Muyideen Akorede, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the state Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, IF-K is the most transparent, structured and sustainable model for funding high-value infrastructure projects by any State Government in the country.
The government said IF-K has standard operating procedures as guided by its enabling law, the Kwara State Public-Private Partnership Law 2015 and that the quarterly release of funds for inherited and ongoing infrastructure projects across the state is in line with this procedures.
Similarly and prior to the commencement of IF-K payment model, the quarterly payments adopted was based on stakeholders’ engagement, including contractors and consultants and the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies on the appropriate modalities taking into consideration the time-lag for payment documentation.
The statement said the PPP Law of 2015 and the procedures set out under it prevent payment to anyone other than contractors handling verified completed and ongoing projects.
Debunking the claim of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate’s organisation of lack of transparency, the state government said the IF-K’s inaugural management report (December 2016 to December 2017) is a public document that has been endorsed by the State Executive Council and the Kwara State House of Assembly. Continuing, it said every IF-K-financed project can also be verified through the implementing Ministries and as such in the state’s Audited Annual Reports which are also in the public domain.
Furthermore, the government stressed that all ongoing IF-K projects are funded according to a schedule agreed with contractors and in line with the project timetable.
The statement, therefore, described as untrue the allegations that any IF-K projects had either been abandoned or has stalled due to lack of funding.