With Video, Audio & Documents: Comparing Otti’s N36bn 5.8km Road Contract with Fubara’s N30bn 19.7km Multi-Bridge Project | #NwokeukwuMascot

 Opinion 

Lootocracy: Between Otti and Fubara Who Will You Trust to Manage Your Money? By John Okiyi Kalu | #NwokeukwuMascot

Construction giants, Julius Berger (JB) was hired by two Governors to execute road projects in their respective states. Below are the details as made public by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State. Feel free to verify.

Governor Alex Otti (Abia)

1. Road: Port Harcourt Road Aba

A. Lenght of road: 5.8km

B. Cost: N36 billion

C. Nature of road: Urban dual carriage way with previous soil stabilization and drains on both sides

D. Number of Bridges, Culverts or Flyover: NIL

E. Award/Flagoff Date: October 2023

F. Contractor: Julius Berger Plc

G. Duration: 24 months

H. Drains: 5.8km x 2  = 11,600 meters

I. Cost per KM: N6 billion

Governor Sim Fubara (Rivers)

2. Buguma-Abalama-Tema-Degema-Abonnema Road

A. Lenght of road: 19.7km

B. Cost: N30.4 billion

C. Nature of road: Swampy unstabllized

D. Number of Bridges: 7 bridges

E. Award/Flag off Date: December 2024

F. Contractor: Julius Berger Plc

G. Duration: 15 months

H. Drains: 12,777 meters

I. Cost per KM: N1.54 billion

Assuming the Rivers Project is a standard 8.2 meters road, as against dual carriage like in Abia, the cost per KM would still be less than N3 billion per KM if you extrapolate.

TRIVIA

The Abia contract was not advertised for competitive bidding rather the grade A contractor, Hartland Construction Company, that stabilized the road after carting away debris etc and implementing 11,600 meters of drains as well as 1km mixed materials laying was chased out by Governor Alex Otti and was not given opportunity to even re-bid for the project along with other grade A contractors in Nigeria.

Normally, in public procurement, it is the ministry of works in a state that designs a road project, advertise it for bids and reviews technical designs and tenders from interested construction companies. An inter ministerial committee known as Finance & General Purpose (F & GPC) that includes officials of the ministries of Works, Finance and Justice will review the tenders and select the best bid. The State Executive Council will subsequently approve the award of contract after cross checking budgetary provisions.

In the case of Rivers State, the above process was apparently followed but in tne case of Abia State, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, personally installed Julius Berger whose Chairman at that time was his bosom friend that also doubled as Chairman of his Signature Bank, Mutiu Sunmonu (CON) as preferred and only bidder.  Interestingly, Mr Sunmonu is no longer the Chairman of either company as he exited Signature Bank in late 2024 and JB in April 2025.

Curiously, at around that same period of award of this opaque contract to JB, Signature Bank owned by Governor Alex Otti that was red listed by Emefiele-led CBN for inability to meet capitalization and minimum branch network requirements for commercial banks grew exponentially to 12 branches from 2 (Lagos and PH) and apparently also met the capitalization requirement. (Story for another day).

More curious is the fact that documents leaked from Abia State Government, with subsequent confirmation by the official Spokesmen of Governor Otti established that Nigerian Lawyer and bosom friend of Governor Alex Otti, who donated at least a campaign vehicle to him in 2023, Ken Ahia SAN, of Ken Ahia, SAN & Associates received payment of N50 million from Abia Tax Payers money for ostensibly negotiating and drafting this same Julius Berger contract.

Video of the moment Governor Otti’s Media Aide, Mr Ekeoma Validated the authenticity of the document 👇🏽

For evidence, I have attached proof and confirmation from the state government that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria was paid N50 million for negotiating a contract of N36 billlion whereas there are good lawyers in the state Ministry of Justice, including the Attorney General of Abia state that signed off the money Governor Otti paid his friend. I leave it to NBA and their ethics committees to confirm if what happened is ethically correct as I am personally surprised that a SAN will genuinely accept N50 million payment as commission for N36 billion project handling.

More importantly, after Julius Berger and Governor Otti privately designed, valued and settled for N32 billion payment for the Port Harcourt Road contract, without input from statutory bodies approved by our procurement laws, a source in the state ministry of works told me that he (Otti) summoned the acting Permanent Secretary in the state ministry of works, Engr Ememe to sign off the award. The diligent and God fearing civil servant refused to endorse it and pointedly told Governor Alex Otti that with N8 billion the Port Harcourt Road Aba project will be completed within 6 months with 6 lanes and a BRT by Hartland Construction Company that was on site. (The man is still alive for verification)

Shortly afterwards, Engr Ememe was retired and replaced by Governor Alex Otti whose spokesmen subsequently stormed Arise TV Morning Show program in Lagos to inform Nigerians that the contract was awarded to Julius Berger for N32 billion but they benevolently “gave discount of N2billion to Abia State”. . See attached video

Moment Gov Otti’s Aides Stated Conflicting Figures Regards Cost of PH Road Contract on National TV 👇🏽

In a recent Arise TV interview, Governor Alex Otti told irrepressible Rufai Oseni that the total cost of the same Julius Berger contract for Port Harcourt Road Aba was N36 billion.

Unu para tule!!!

The mere mention of “discount of N2billion” after the contract award is positive proof that the contract award did not follow due process. It is IMPOSSIBLE to follow official procurement process to award a contract and subsequently get discount of N2 billion then later get additional bill of N6billion within the contractual period. Construction companies such as JB factor in inflation in pricing their offers hence the talk of “changes in cost of materials” is idle defense of a pathologically lying government because the project has not exceeded the contractual duration of two years and Governor Otti told Abians in 2023 that he fully paid. We demand to know if there were changes in the scope of the original project.

Video of Moment Gov. Otti Announced 5.8 KM PH Road Contract Increased to 36.5 Billion Naira👇🏽 

We strongly demand for the original design and Bill of Quantities for Port Harcourt Road prohect to confirm the actual cost.  Otti vowed transparency and should walk his talk now.

While I certainly understand the emotions around reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road Aba, which is a key road for our people in Aba, but surely it is not the only important road in that great city. Whereas no Governor can reasonably be expected to do all things, it must be noted that former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu equally reconstructed very important roads in Aba including dual carriage Aba-Owerri road with the only interchange (Osisioma Flyover ) in the state. He also reconstructed Nicholas-Brass-Faulks road that leads to Ariaria International Market along with ancillary roads like Samek-MCC, Osusu, Okigwe road, Azikiwe, Eziukwu-Milverton-Cemetary, Ngwa road-Emelogu amongst many others. Ikpeazu also used grade A contractors such as Arab Contractors, Setraco, Hartland, China Zghoo, Bulletine etc. ikpeazu was also the first Governor in Abia State and South East Nigeria to deploy rigid pavement (Cement) Technology in road construction. 

Presenting reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road Aba as the only important road project is the stuff for propagandists in power seeking to deceive and fleece the innocent people of our dear state. In terms of socio-economic impact, it could be argued that both Osisioma Flyover- Aba Owerri road and Nicholas-Brass Faulks (Ariaria) road are equally or more important than Port Harcourt Road Aba. Ikpeazu did both and others like Ngwa road-Emelogu and Eziukwu-Milverton/Ojike-Crmetsty that respectively lead to New Market (Ahia Ohuru) and Cemetary Market in Aba.  Any banker that worked in Aba in the past 15 years will also testify that Ikpeazu largely saved the banking industry in Aba when he reconstructed factory road-Eziukwu, Milverton, Okigwe road and Ojike lane after many years of dilapidation. He also did Azikiwe road. Throughout IKPEAZU’S stay in office there was no single successful bank robbery in Aba too. 

Please DO NOT believe all I penned here, VERIFY AND CONFIRM. Any of those mentioned in this note that believe I lied against them in this publication should hastily sue me for defamation.

Otherwise, I repeat my question: given the above information,  between Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State, who will you trust your taxpayers' money with? Note that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal dual carriage highway is 2 times cheaper, per KM, than the  Otti Port Harcourt Road Contract. “Go and verify”, in the voice of great Mazi Peter Obi. 

NB: Kindly share this until Governor Alex Otti, who promised Abians transparency, reads and personally respond to the issues raised. As can be proved by the N32 billion versus N36 billion fiasco, his aides know next to nothing about this transaction and are only useful abuse parrots.

©️John Billions

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