A leaked memo surfacing online has revealed the reason Rotimi Amaechi’s proposal for the provision of security equipment along the Abuja-Kaduna rail track was rejected by the Federal Executive Council, concerning the recent train attack.
The Minister of Transportation, Amaechi had while fielding questions from journalists after the train bombing that left at least eight persons dead, said he had predicted the attack and presented a memo to FEC for the procurement of security equipment, but it was rejected.
According to the minutes of the FEC meeting of September 24, 2021, marked EC (2021)236 and obtained by The PUNCH, Amaechi recommended that a firm, Mogjan Nigeria Limited, be given the contract worth N3.7 billion.
The meeting was presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, while the President, Muhammadu Buhari was attending the United Nations General Assembly in USA.
The firm, which was incorporated on August 6, 2019, by Prince Godwin Momoh, Chioma Momoh and George Momoh, had a turnover of N84.9 million.
“We had doubts about the capability of a company, which was formed less than two years prior and had no track record of handling a contract of N3.7 billion or a contract on surveillance systems. The company was also to be paid upfront. Our investigation pointed to a conflict of interest,” said a top Presidency official.
According to the memo, Amaechi in his presentation stated that the Bureau of Public Procurement had reviewed the process of procurement and had given a certificate of no objection for the contract, adding that the project would be funded from the N71.4 billion budget of the ministry.
The minister subsequently asked the council to “approve the award of contract for the procurement and installation of electronic surveillance system and interrogation unit on the Abuja (Idu)-Kaduna (Rigasa) 200km railway monitoring rail intrusion detection system and emergency response system in favour of Messrs Mogjan Nigeria Limited/Cagewox Dot Net Limited in the sum of N3,780,827,410.66 inclusive of 7.5 per cent VAT with a completion period of four months.”
However, ministers in the council questioned the capacity of t