Why Nigerian contractors are excluded from projects – ADB

The African Development Bank said on Tuesday that lack of adequate financial and technical requirements was why many Nigerian contractors hardly qualified for contracts awarded by it.

Nigeria is ADB’s largest shareholder, while the bank is currently executing 29 development projects in the country.

However, the Regional Representative of ADB in Nigeria, Mr. Ousmane Dore, told the House of Representatives Committee on Donor Agencies and Civil Societies that Nigerian contractors usually did not meet the requirements for the projects.

Members of the committee, which is headed by Mr. Eseme Eyiboh, had sought to know why there was scanty information on the operations of the bank.

They also wanted to know how more Nigerians could be involved in its activities.

Dore told the committee that the bank had assisted development in Africa to the tune of $100bn since 1964, out of which only $5bn was spent in Nigeria.

He said as part of its decentralisation policy, ADB planned to open its largest field office headquarters in Abuja.

Dore added that officials of the bank had visited the committee as part of ongoing collaboration with institutions of government in the country with the aim of identifying projects that would address poverty.

“We are also to guide you on the conditions for our loans, which are concessionary and attract interests. In this way, your country can be properly guided to avoid any debt trap”, Dore stated.

Eyiboh had earlier called on the bank to avail the House of information on projects it had approved for the country so as to assist the National Assembly in appropriating funds for projects in the national budget.

“As a House, we have to guard against duplication of projects. It will serve no purpose to appropriate funds to projects already being undertaken by the ADB. Such funds should go to other projects to avoid duplication,” he said.

Also on Tuesday, the House also passed a resolution asking the Federal Government to begin the dredging of the River Benue from Lokoja, Kogi State, to Jimeta, Adamawa State, with rivers Ports at Makurdi in Benue State and Ibi/Lau in Taraba State.

A lawmaker from Adamawa State, Mrs. Aishatu Ahmed, who sponsored the motion, had argued that the dredging of the river would promote economic activities in the affected states.

According to her, the project will complement the dredging of the River Niger and enhance inland waterways transportation in the country.

She said, “It will ensure effective inland transportation and business activities throughout the country.

“Whatever was done to River Niger should be done to River Benue; that is, the length of dredging of the River Benue should extend beyond Makurdi to serve Numan, Jimeta and Yola, and terminate at Wuro Bokki.”