College of Fisheries in Niger spent N917m in March. It was for — guess what — tricycles, security vehicles in Lagos, Ogun

FIJ

The Federal College of Freshwater Fisheries Technology, located in New Bussa, Niger State, paid N917 million for medical supplies, tricycles and security vehicles to communities in Lagos and Ogun in March.

FIJ found on GovSpend, a website replicating the Open Treasury Portal, that this institution of learning made payments totalling N917,831,726 for 11 projects in other states.

The college was founded in 1978 as a tertiary institution under the National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR) to be “the leading tertiary educational Institution in Nigeria” for research, training and entrepreneurial development of senior-level, middle-level and junior-level manpower that will be proficient in fisheries, food, agricultural technology, hospitalities and allied disciplines to meet the national demand for food security.

However, these payments that sum up to almost a billion naira were made for projects outside the spectrum of what the Federal Ministry of Agriculture’s subsidiary was set up for.

The institution, which is over 500 kilometres away from Lagos and Ogun State, made payments to different companies for the provision of infrastructure development, medical supplies, hospital equipment, minibuses, tricycles and security vehicles for communities in Ogun and the Ikeja federal constituency.

On March 12, the college made payments totalling N585,129,010.3.

Two of these payments made on March 12 were for the provision of tricycles in Ayetoro, Ado Odo, Agada, and Imeko Afon in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State. Dratot Limitless Company Limited and EST Source Solutions Limited received the payments.

The college also paid N86,893,457.11 to Donedeal Projects Limited for the provision of security vehicle facilities in selected areas of the Ikeja federal constituency. Areas in Ikeja where the security vehicle facilities were provided were not stated, which makes tracking this project very difficult.

FIJ also found that N152,052,608 was paid to Pramkas Global Limited for the provision of “infrastructural development” in Ilaro and Ota communities in Ogun on March 12.

These payments did not end there.

On March 21, payments totalling N128,921,128 went to El Hosp Diamond Limited for the provision of medical supplies, drugs and equipment for hospitals and healthcare in Erinja and Ibese Communities, as well as the provision of security vehicle facilities in some selected areas of Ikeja Federal Constituency.