Audit however observed that a Contract for the renewal of bandwidth for rural Information Technology Centres was awarded to a company on the 26th June, 2013 but paid for in 2014, to supply a twelve (12) months dedicated internet bandwidth to forty-six (46) identified schools across Nigeria at the total cost of N184, 000, 000.00, at a unit cost of N4,000,000.00 per annum. However, market enquiry revealed that this contract was over-invoiced.
In one of the contracts that 12-month bandwidth subscription was provided by another company for Okoro Gbede High School, Ijumu L.G.A, Kogi State for establishment of information technologies center at the cost of N1,944,000.00. The company invoice was therefore inflated to the tune of N2,056,000.00 per bandwidth translating to a total refundable sum of N94,576,000.00 for the forty-six (46) schools (centers). The company bandwidth specification was 512/128 kbps whereas that of the referenced company was 512/256kbps with a covering period of 13 months (from 13th September, 2014 to September 2015) while that of company in question covers July, 2013 to June, 2014 which is less than 13 month but has a higher cost than the earlier. There was no evidence that the company’s bandwidth was subscribed from a network provider. The company did not produce receipt from the internet service provider to justify that the price was fair.
Another contract was also awarded to another Company to establish a Wide Area Network (WAN) at Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, Zaria, Kaduna State at the sum of N206,250,000.00 and paid. This contract price was also observed to have been inflated, from our market survey. Most of the items listed were not supplied to specifications; the bandwidth worked for only two months after installation; and the mast collapsed after installation and was later replaced by the school.