By O'Seun Ogunsakin
The Ekiti State Rural Access and
Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) has begun the process of awarding
Ikole-Ikoyi-Igbemo road and Ijero-Epe-Araromi-Iropora road totalling 31.12km as
the Project, on Monday, opened bids submitted by six construction companies.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti at the bid
opening exercise, the State Project Coordinator, Hon Sunday Adunmo said the proposed
construction of the two roads are in tandem with the agriculture and rural
development agenda of the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in the
State.
Adunmo who noted that the two
roads connect three local government areas of the State said the proposed construction
works would not only provide motorable road networks but also help farmers in
the affected routes in transporting their farm produce to markets and solving
food shortage which has beset the nation.
The Project Coordinator lamented
the losses which farmers in the State had experienced before the commencement
of RAAMP in the State and assured that the project would improve the livelihood
of farmers while also helping the State become the food basket of the southwestern
Nigeria.
While assuring the bidders of
fairness, Adunmo said the evaluation of the bids would be done without favoritism
as the project is only interested in contractors who have capacity to deliver quality
jobs.
In their remarks, the representative
of the State Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) Engr Samuel Ogundare and Mr.
Eyitayo Fabunmi, the Executive Director of CESFORD, a Civil Society
Organisation who monitored the bid opening exercise, hailed Ekiti RAAMP for
being transparent with the bidding process.
The representatives of the bidders
equally expressed confidence in the bidding process, saying that it was
transparent as vital information on each bid was read out to all.
The bid opening exercise was also
attended by the chairman of the State Project Monitoring Committee who doubles
as the Permanent Secretary in the anchor Ministry, Agriculture and Food
Security, Engr Olugbenga Odesanmi, and members of the Project Implementation
Unit, among others.
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