In 2019, the Ondo state government awarded a sum of N202,719,349 (Two Hundred and two million, Seven hundred and Nineteen Thousand Naira) for the renovation of Ondo State Radiovision Corporation, located at Orita Obele, Akure.
The project description reads; Complete Reroofing of the Complex, New Doors, New Aluminium Windows, Floor tiling, Ceiling, General Painting and Installation of AC.
Ondo State Radiovision Corporation was established during the Civilian Government of Late Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin in June 1982. In November 1983, the OSRC was transferred to Orita-Obele with five departments.
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In 2017, following a series of challenges state owned media houses were facing especially the Radiovision Corporation, the government set-up a panel to report on the causes of the issues and the ways forward.
By June of the same year, the panel submitted its findings to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and parts of the findings of the panel was ‘mismanagement of funds allotted to the station’. The government subsequently promised that the station would be revived.
The contract award appeared to be a step towards fulfilling the promise as an aftermath of the panel’s findings and promised interventions.
The project awarded in March 2019 by the state’s Ministry of Land and Housing was meant to run for a duration of twelve months according to information on the Open Contracting Portal, which meant that from the time of the contract award the project should have been completed by April 2020.
Dataphyte visited the RadioVision corporation in Ondo to ascertain the level of work done on the project and the building is still in a poor state.
While there were signs that work was started on the building, signs of abandonment were also visible at the location.
Although general painting was part of the contract award, the building did not look like it had received a fresh coat of paint and the air conditioners at the building looked old, showing signs of rust, although new ACs were part of the contract award.
The Ondo state RadioVision Corporation houses the state government owned radio and television station.
In 2017, it was reported that the station was shut over public complaints of redundancy and ineffectiveness. The government was quoted as promising to ensure an overhaul of the station’s equipment for modern ones as well as physical rehabilitation of the facilities.
The project was awarded to RTD Thompson Limited, a firm founded in 1996, although listed as inactive on the Corporate Affairs Commission Portal.
Dataphyte reached out to the organisation and the respondent Tom Daramola noted that the state has not honoured invoices raised on supplies made to the organisation.
He further stated that his organisation supplied some Air Conditioners to the government but the supplies have not yet been paid for by the government.
He further revealed that the organisation wrote a letter to the Ondo state government, enquiring when the project will be recommenced but no reply was gotten.
“Go to the radio corporation to see what we started there and volume of work we did but the government did not fulfil their end and even they are yet to pay us, we have tried to get the government to recommence the work, by writing a letter but till tomorrow they did not reply us” he noted.
When contacted by phone, the Spokesperson to the Ondo state governor, Richard Olabode declined comments on the development, noting that he cannot comment on the development. The state commissioner for Information who might have been able to comment on behalf of the state, Donald Ojogo, had resigned to contest for an elective position and the state has yet to formally announce a new replacement.
The contact person listed on the Open Contracting Portal of the state for this particular project and listed as representing the Ministry of Lands and Housing interest, Arc Segun Ogunro who also doubles as the state Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Architect, when contacted declined comments saying that he cannot speak on the completion or otherwise of the project.
Dataphyte made attempts to contact the office of the Corporation Chairman, to speak to the state of the building as well as the status of the contract award, but was unsuccessful. Multiple attempts only ended with personnel in the Chairman’s office saying that the Chairman was not on seat.
A mail to the Ondo State Radiovision Corporation seeking clarifications received no response as at the time of filing this report.
A few days after Dataphyte’s attempts to get official comments on the state of the project from state officials, the project duration was changed on the Ondo State Open Contracting portal, from the initial twelve months to August, 2023. Meaning completion is expected four years and four months after contract award.
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Founder of OpenSunshine and the South West lead of ‘4lowthemoney’, Oluwagbenga Ajongbolo, noted that it is worrisome and shows depth of corruption in the system.
He narrated how he once attended a radio program on the state’s station and he couldn’t complete the program because the electricity went off.
According to him, the station said that they do not have a working generator set, and that the station is in poor condition.
Olugbenga revealed that when the government said it was going to renovate the station, many stakeholders including himself raised questions about how the project will be implemented and it is saddening that ‘the fears of the critical voices have been confirmed’.
He urged that the people should be empowered with information so as to ensure that questions are asked from the appropriate authorities.
“There is a need to empower the people with information, so they can be the force to demand answers and ask questions. This kind of awakening is needed” he noted.
Asides from ensuring that this project sees the light of the day, Olugbenga said that it is important that anti-corruption agencies be petitioned to take action.