Controversy brews as RCCG accuse Federal govt of N145million road construction fraud
- The federal government has been accused of committing fraud through an already completed road project
- The accusation was made by the Redeemed Christian Church of God specifically to the federal ministry of works
- The ministry is under the purview of a former Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola
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A report by The Punch indicates that the Nigerian Senate is currently probing the federal ministry of works for allegedly paying N145million to a construction firm as reimbursement for a road project executed by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR.
According to the report, a senior official of the RCCG, Pastor Niyi Adebanjo, had in a petition submitted to the Senate alleged that the ministry officials paid the money to the management of a private construction company as part payment for the road project awarded to it.
Adebanjo submitted the petition on behalf of the General Overseer of the RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, referred the document to the Senate committee on ethics, privileges, and public petitions.
Source: Twitter
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The petition was presented by the chairman of the committee, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, on behalf of Lawan, on Tuesday, February 9.
The RCCG, in the petition, alleged that the construction firm claimed the money as reimbursement for the rehabilitation of the Ife-Ifewara road, Osun state, which the church constructed.
Part of the petition read:
“The rehabilitation of the road was awarded and paid for by Pastor Enoch Adeboye in the sum of N188,440,342, hence the claim by Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited was illegal and unjust.
“The church hereby requests the Senate to look into the matter and, among others, urge the firm to refund the money it collected to the coffers of the federal government.”
Speaking before the panel under oath, on Wednesday, March 10, Pastor Adebanjo said the people of the area pleaded with Adeboye to repair the road, which was in a deplorable state for years, making it a death trap for motorists and a safe haven for criminals.
Ruling on the matter, the committee chairman directed the secretariat to write the directors and supervising engineers in charge of the project to appear before the panel.
Meanwhile, the RCCG on Sunday, February 21 held a special prayer walk across the world over the rising insecurity and other challenges confronting Nigeria.
Legit.ng monitored the walk held in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja by the Throne Parish of the RCCG.
Addressing journalists during the procession, Pastor Tunde Benjamins-Laniyi, the pastor-in-charge of the parish, said the prayer intercession was a mandate from God, adding that it was also taking place in the over 40,000 parish churches of the RCCG in 198 nations across the world.
In a related development, Pastor Adeboye, on Thursday, February 25, canvassed for specific prayers against ritualists and kidnappers in Nigeria from members of the RCCG.
Jerrywright Ukwu is an Abuja-based senior political/defence correspondent at Legit.ng. He is a graduate of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos and the International Institute of Journalism in Abuja. He is also a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists. He spends his leisure-time reading history books. He can be reached via email at jerrywright39@yahoo.com.
Source: Legit.ng
