Reports
No Procurement Fraud in BPP Project – Ekiti Govt Replies SaharaReporters
By Joseph Sunday
The Ekiti State Government has dismissed allegations of irregularities in the award of contract for the construction of an e-office and conference hall for the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, in Ado-Ekiti.
The government was reacting to a report by SaharaReporters which alleged that the N578.595 million contract awarded to Doylit Resources Nigeria Limited was improper on the grounds that the company is linked to a serving political appointee.
In a statement issued on August 8, 2026 by the Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun, the government said the report was misleading and amounted to a misinterpretation of procurement records.
N578.6m Not a Fresh Contract:
The government clarified that the N578.6 million was not a second or duplicate award for the same project.
According to the statement, the project was initially awarded to Doylit Resources Nigeria Limited at N443,459,756.25 after due procurement process.
In the course of execution, additional works not captured in the original Bill of Quantities were identified. The contractor initially proposed N140,010,300.50 for the extra works, which was reviewed downward by the Bureau to N137,135,481.75 based on prevailing market prices.
The sum of the original contract value of N443,459,756.25 and the approved additional works of N137,135,481.75 brings the total project cost to about N578.6 million.
The government said it was therefore wrong to present the December 2025 award of N443.46 million and the August 2026 figure of N578.6 million as two separate contracts for the same job. It added that the additional works are yet to commence pending approval by the State Executive Council, while the main construction is at an advanced stage with structural elements already completed.
Due Process Followed:
The government maintained that the original procurement complied with the Ekiti State Public Procurement (Re-enacted) Law, 2020.
It said three vendors — Kelvinkay Global Nigeria Limited, Dowab Nigeria Limited and Doylit Resources Nigeria Limited — were invited under the selective tendering method, with Doylit Resources emerging as the most responsive bidder at N443,459,756.25.
The recommendation, it stated, was forwarded to the State Tenders Board and ratified by the State Executive Council before the award letter was issued.
On Alleged Link to Governor’s Aide:
On the claim that a director of the company is a serving Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, the government said mere association with a political appointee does not establish fraud or conflict of interest without evidence of prohibited conduct.
What matters, according to the statement, is whether the company met tender requirements, complied with the law and went through proper evaluation and approval.
The government noted that the company was incorporated in August 2022, before the appointment of the individual as Senior Special Assistant in December 2023, and was therefore not created to benefit from the present administration.
It also faulted the use of a company’s age to allege impropriety, stressing that eligibility is determined by technical, financial and experience requirements of the procurement exercise, not years of incorporation.
The government further said entries on the Open Contracting Portal should be interpreted with proper context and underlying procurement documents, adding that references to entities listed as “Permanent Secretaries” should not be taken to mean that Permanent Secretaries personally received contracts.
While welcoming media scrutiny, the government expressed concern over what it described as a recurring pattern of presenting procurement records with speculative conclusions capable of suggesting wrongdoing before facts are established.
It reaffirmed the commitment of the administration of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji to transparency, accountability and value for money, citing recognitions from the BudgIT Foundation, Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative, PLSI, and the Governance Accountability and Transparency Index, GATI.
The government urged media organisations to seek clarification from appropriate authorities where procurement records require explanation and to submit any credible evidence of manipulation to statutory authorities for investigation.
