The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) on Thursday made U-turn on a petition earlier submitted to the Senate accusing the Federal Ministry of Works of paying N151million to the management of Cartil Construction Company as part payment for the road project.
The church had in a petition written to the Senate alleged that a construction firm, Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited, had demanded the payment and was paid N151 million by the Federal Government for a road it rehabilitated as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project.
The road in question is Ife-Ifewara road, Osun state.
Speaking before the panel under oath, Pastor Niyi Adebanjo apologized on behalf of the General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye to the Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola.
He also admitted that he has no evidence to back up claims that funds were released in 2011 to Cartil Construction Limited.
He however insisted that it constructed the 15 kilometer road and asked that Cartil Construction Limited should refund what it had collected to the government.
Fashola while responding to query had explained that it was false that payments were made between 2016 to 2018 for the construction of the road; adding that part of why the road was abandoned between 2013 and 2017 was because there was no budgetary allocation for the project.
Fashola however explained that the contract for the road was awarded to Cartil Construction in December 2010 for N600 million as one of the several Constituency projects executed under the Ministry of Works; five years before the Buhari administration.
He said based on Section 36 of the Public Procurement Act, the contractor was entitled to 15% as mobilization fee. He said the contractor initiated for the 15% and the then Minister graciously approved and paid Carti Construction Limited N 99.4 million.
He said having moved to site, a second payment of N52 million was made on the 29th of December, 2011; bringing the total to N151 million which according to him was erroneously claimed to have been paid in 2016 by RCCG.