The contractor of the Lalong Legacy Project, Bleneson Services Nigeria Ltd, said the Plateau State Government has not terminated its contract and therefore has no right to re-award the same contract to another contractor.
The organization also said that the project cannot be re-awarded to a new contractor, because there is a pending case before the court of law on the project.
Managing Director of Bleneson Services Nig Ltd, Engr Lawson Ngoa, made the disclosure while responding to reports of the recent approval of a new contractor.
Recall that last Wednesday, the Plateau State Executive Council presided by Governor Lalong, re-awarded the aforementioned contract to a new contractor and and approved the sum of N26.6B for the completion of the Lalong Legacy Project.
Lawson said, “Litigation is on between the State Government and the Contractor and also a case between the contractor and other sub-contractors as such it is not possible for the same project to be re-awarded.
He also faulted the State government for saying they were terminating or have terminated the contract on the grounds of non-performance after the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong has been quoted in interviews saying the project was 70 percent to completion.
“If we have done 70 percent like they say, what then will stop us from completing the project? He asked.
According to him, “We don’t need to compound this issue, bringing in another contractor now when the main contractor is still alive, and the case is still before the court of Law, we will only compound the issues more as bringing in the new contractor will amount to more litigations, and the more we go into litigation the more the project will still not be done”.
“This case is before the court of Law and we have not been paid a dime by anyone neither has anyone been sent to me nor approached me for settlement, and there is no consent agreement made all through the one year that the case has been in court”.
He further stated that he was also in support that the Lalong Legacy Project being completed as it was for the overall interest of the Plateau State Citizens.
Our correspondent reports that the Projects, 21 in all, were dubbed ‘Lalong Legacy Projects and they include 9 primary schools, 6 secondary schools and 6 hospitals, all of world-standard and located across the 17 local government areas of the State.
Recall also that Bleneson Services had on March 16, instituted a suit seeking to restrain the Plateau government from terminating its contract for the construction of schools and hospitals under the Lalong Legacy Projects.
The institution of the suit was after the Plateau State Government issued a 30-day “Notice of Termination of Contract” on the Company on March 9, following what it claimed to be failure of the company to deliver a phase of the project.
The then presiding Judge on the matter, Justice Yakubu Dakwak, struck out the case after the court held that there was a failure of mandatory steps failed to be taken by the defendants as required by the rules of court which robbed the court of jurisdiction to handle the matter.
However, Bleneson Services have since filed in an appeal and awaiting the verdict of the Court.