Anthonia Duru
A group of artisans and suppliers have called on Sterling Bank and Edo University (EDU) to pay up for their services during the construction of a hostel project in the institution. .
The workers also took their plea to the Developer who through their lawyer, Pragmatic Legal Solicitors, expressed thier grievances through a protest letter to the management of EDU.
According to the letter delivered to the management of the institution and made available to journalists, Sterling Bank engaged the service of the firm, Campus Alive, to construct and develop a 150 rooms hostel at EDU. The contract which was awarded in April 2019 was 90% completed when management of EDU on 5th January , 2021 in the presence of some officials of Sterling Bank forcefully opened the facility without the consent of the developer who according to the letter was meant to manage the facility for 2years after completion.
Though according to the letter obtained by our reporter, the bank terminated the contract without following due process as stated in the Memorandum of Understanding, the firm through the artisans however pleaded with management of Sterling Bank to urgently pay the sum of N82,152,200.00.
Our reporter contacted Augustus Adomagbo the Education Finance Officer of Sterling Bank but he didn’t respond to the question.
We also sent message to his mobile line on Saturday but as at the time of filing this report on Thursday he is yet to respond.
The Site Manager ,Toheeb Olagunju, who was physically assaulted severally during the cause of construction by unknown persons at EDU’s premises narrated how he was manhandled and injured when thugs invaded the hostel during construction. The management of EDU has also taken over materials and equipments belonging to the firm worth millions of naira and has refused the developer access into the hostel.
Efforts to reach Aperua-yusuf Abdulrahman head of Physical Planning of the institution and the Deputy Vice Chancellor as at the time of submitting this report was abortive as they didn’t respond to calls placed on thier line by our reporter.
