Relationship between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and its sports and social development counterpart has gone sour over N5 billion realised from the sales of forms to applicants for the purchase of Games Village duplexes.
One million forms were said to have been sold at the rate of N5000 each amounting to N5 billion. The said proc-eeds realised from the forms was kept in the custody of the housing and urban development ministry which supervised the exercise. But five months after the forms were sold and even winners of the duplexes in the 594 unit of houses were announced, not a word was heard on the realised amount on the sale of the forms.
Consequently, the sports ministry wrote a request for the remittance of the N5 billion to it to enable the sett-lement of debts owed con-tractors.
Daily Trust learnt that those who mooted the idea of selling the forms to applic-ants had done so after computing the total debts owed the contractors of the Games Village. It amounted to N5 billion and just enough to offset the outstanding debts.
The sports ministry had pleaded with its counterpart to remit the amount to them so that urgent steps would be taken to settle contractors who daily besieged both COJA secretariat and the ministry to demand for their money.
But the leadership of the housing ministry declined all entreaties including that from the House of Represent-atives committee on housing which had sided with the sports ministry.
Committee member Hon. Bashir Madabu confirmed that N5 billion was actually realised from the sale of the forms and that “the proceed was supposed to be used to off set the debts owed contr-actors of the Games Village.”
Though the chief press secretary to minister of sports, Mr Charles Chikezie feigned ignorance of the bre-wing hiccups over the money, Daily Trust leart that the matter has generated sust-ained conflict between the two ministries and even COJA, which was an ad-hoc body set up to organise the games.
The matter may be brought before the Federal Exec-utive Council (FEC) to compel the ministry of housing to release the amount to the sports ministry as pressure mount on the government to pay off debts owed contractors.
Most of the contractors were said to have been subjected to the vigorous exercise of submitting for re-eval-uation under the due process of the government.
Daily Trust leart that the main contractor is owed N100 million, while debts on utilities specifically water and electricity stand at N20 million and N30 million respectively at July.
The 594 units of houses comprising two bedroom, three bedroom and four bedroom duplexes were sold to the said lucky winners at the rate of N12 million, N14 million and N16 million respectively.
Though 60 days was given for payment to be made or the winners forfeit their houses, nothing has been heard five months after.
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