Lost Integrity: How Ekiti State Gov’t Used N173 Million to Clear Land

Secret Reporters

Data available on the Ekiti State Open Procurement Portal have revealed that the Government under former Governor Kayode Fayemi spent a sum of N173, 768,665 for the “Land clearing of 250 Hectares of Ikun Dairy Farm”.

According to the data, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development awarded the contract to two different companies simultaneously in 2020. In the first contract, which was awarded to Yeelda Integrated Services in January 2020, the sum of N86, 884,332.50 was used for the “Land clearing of 250 Hectares of Ikun Dairy Farm”. However, the contract details did not state the duration of the project.

Similarly, another contract was awarded to Seal Integrated Services by the same ministry in January 2020, for the “Land clearing of 250 Hectares of Ikun Dairy Farm”. The contract details did not also state the duration of the project.

Findings revealed that Yeelda Integrated Services Limited was incorporated in Lagos, Nigeria with Registration Number 1586341. It was registered on 20 May 2019 and its current status is ACTIVE. The company’s office address is 12, Reeve Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. On the company’s board of directors are Gbolahan Ayodeji Opeodu, Gbolahan Ayodeji Opeodu, Adebosola Olamide Oladeinde, Adebosola Olamide Oladeinde, and Damilola Deborah Ogunsanya.

Meanwhile, the procurement laws have it that to qualify for a government contract, a company must among others, show evidence of fulfilling its Tax obligations which include: (i) a Current Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) for the last three (3) years; VAT Registration Certificate; and TIN Number (Tax Identification Number).

(ii) Audited Account of the Bidding Company for the last three (3) years duly endorsed by a firm of Professional Accountants.

Going by these standards, Yeelda Integrated Services Limited was not qualified for the contract as it was less than a year in existence as of the time the contract was awarded.

Meanwhile, a search for ‘Seal Global Ltd’ on the portal of the Corporate Affairs Commission did not yield the desired result as other names sprung up. Most similar is “Global Seal Ltd” which was incorporated in Kaduna, Nigeria with Registration Number 288938. It was registered on 14 Mar 1996 and its current status is unknown. The company’s office address is 1, Ribau Rd., Kaduna.

The Ikun Dairy Farm, Ikun-Ekiti, Moba Local Government, which the state government recently resuscitated, started producing milk for the first time in 2020 since it was established about 40 years ago.

It could be recalled that in July 2019, the state government signed an agreement with Promasidor Nigeria Limited to form a joint venture company named Ikun Dairy Farm, located at Ikun-Ekiti.