Engineer Tawa Williams, the Project Consultant in charge of the $106 million Ilesa WaterProject, has accused the Osun House of Assembly of demanding a $5 million bribe from her.
This was stated by the project consultant on Thursday, in Osogbo, while answering questions on a television programme in Osogbo.
Williams claimed that the $5 million bribe was demanded on behalf of the assembly by the Chairman of the House Committee on Water Resources, Hon. Nasiru Olateju.
She said the lawmakers had invited her and the team working on the site following an earlier inspection, praising the quality of work done thus far before demanding the ‘bribe.’
“The House is asking for five million dollars and I said I don’t have five million dollars to give to anybody. They asked for it for themselves. They are asking for takeaway grant and they are saying that they will go to the press and say that the quality of work that we have done is not good.
“I told them that one year ago, you were on the site. You were commending us. Now, you will go back to the press and say we have not done well, what would be your reason?
“Yes. They demanded the bribe. I am saying it from all sense of responsibility. It did not come from the house as a whole. The Chairman of the House Committee on Water Supply and members of his committe called us to the meeting. They were saying that we didn’t give them money, and I was saying we do not have money to give to them. The money I have is to do the job.”
Reacting to the allegations made by Tawa Wiilams, the project consultant, The House of Assembly under the leadership of Rt. Hon Timothy Owoeye has given her 24hours to retract her bribery allegation against the committee of the Assembly.
In a statement released by the media aide to the speaker, Kunle Alabi on Friday, 30th December 2022. It was disclosed that failure to do that within the said hours, the Assembly shall be forced to seek redress in court as no amount of blackmail will stop the Assembly from playing its constitutional role.
The statement reads: “It is quite unfortunate that the consultant of the Ilesa water project she has resulted to cheap blackmail in trying to cover up for her incompetence, just like a drowning person who will want to cling to any available straw”.
“Recall that sometimes in November during plenary, The Assembly had raised concerns over the poor implementation of the project and the non-execution of a $2m treatment plant, doesn’t it defy logic and common sense that one will request for a $5m bribe on a $2m project?”.
“Osun House of Assembly will never ask any Agency of government or individual for any gratification before it could adequately discharge it’s constitutional duties”.
“The said Engineer Tawa Williams had shown that she’s not worthy to have been handed such huge responsibility with her recent outburst of resorting to blackmail to keep afloat with her designation as the consultant of the water project”.
The Speaker charged members of the Committee on Water Resources not to be discouraged in the discharge of their duties, “her latest outburst reinforces the need for you to wrap up your work and make your report official”, the statement concluded.
