The immediate past Commissioner of Works and Transport in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria, Rotimi Illiyasu says he was not invited, interrogated or detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Illiyasu claimed that some political opponents envious of his past achievements while in office and that of the State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq were behind the baseless and unfounded travails with the anti- graft agency.
The former Commissioner made these clarifications during an interview with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ at the union Secretariat in Ilorin, the state capital.
According to him, “the cost of awarding contracts in the state, appeared to be the lowest in the country because of government’s management of scarce resources, though this does not affect the quality of standard of the projects.”
Illiyasu disclosed that the state Governor is very prudent and diligent in awarding contracts.
“Some people feel threatened by my popularity in his local government and senatorial district by extension and trying to look for a way to tarnish my good image.
“Before now, I’ve resolved within me that I’ll not be a disappointment to my people, especially my generation as a youth.
“All I want to do is to help my people in Moro Local government as one of the greatest beneficiaries of this administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the last four years, I only want to give back to my people,” he said.
Speaking on the quality of one of the Tanke flying over bridge, which started during his tenure, the former commissioner said; “the quality is superb, verified and certified by all the appropriate professional bodies like Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).”
According to him, the surface in some parts of the bridge may look rough, but no sincere person can doubt the quality of the work looking from the material used.
Illiyasu also advised whoever wants to buy land to build a house to always ensure they buy it in the upstream area as this would prevent them been submerged by water whenever it rains.
Going by the modern standard of the various road projects, he said “the height of the road and drainage must be raised, and this is affecting many old houses beside the newly constructed road.”
He said they were facing challenges of water, entering their houses, but the government was doing all possible to avert it.
Illiyasu appealed to citizens of the state to also learn from this and try as much as possible to make the foundation of their future buildings high because quality road projects must be met by the state to access international donors.
An official of the Anti-Graft Agency in the state who pleaded not be quoted confirmed that the agency had never at no time invited the former Commissioner for Works, Rotimi Illiyasu for questioning.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
