THE contractor handling the N9.2bn worth of clean cook stove and wonder bags awarded by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, has dragged the Federal Government to court.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Fatima Mede, disclosed this to State House correspondents on Tuesday shortly after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari, of the ministry’s activities inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Mede said the contractor approached the court to order the government not to terminate the contract following the emergence of the present administration.
The Jonathan-led Federal Executive Council had on November 26, 2014 approved N9.2bn inclusive of Value Added Tax for the procurement of 750,000 units of clean cook stove and 18,000 wonder bags.
The contract was awarded in favour of Messrs Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited.
There has been calls on the present administration to terminate the contract.
Confirming the legal action, Mede, said the ministry had briefed the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation on the development.
She said the government would appear before the court to argue its case.
She however did not say if there were plans to terminate the contract.
She said, “The matter is in court right now, so there is a limit to how I can talk about the issue of cooking stove.
“The contractor took government to court asking the court to grant an injunction for government not to terminate the contract.
“We will go there and argue our case, the government will go, we have briefed the Attorney-General’s office.
“We will present our case on the issue that led to the contractor taking us to court, it will be explained and the court will decide.”
(The Punch)
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