The Ekiti State government has denied any wrongdoing in the award of a ₦578.5million contract for the construction of an e-office and conference hall for the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Ado-Ekiti, to Doylit Resources Nigeria Limited.
The government said the ₦578.6million figure does not represent a second or duplicate contract for the project, explaining that it comprises the original contract sum and the cost of additional works identified during execution.
The clarification was contained in a statement signed by the Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun.
According to the statement, the project was originally awarded to Doylit Resources Nigeria Limited at a contract sum of ₦443,459,756.25 after the company emerged as the most responsive bidder in the procurement process.
The government explained that during the execution of the project, certain additional works not captured in the original Bill of Quantities were identified as necessary for its proper completion.
It said the contractor initially proposed ₦140,010,300.50 for the additional works, but the Bureau of Public Procurement reviewed the proposal and reduced the cost to ₦137,135,481.75 based on prevailing market prices.
“The original contract sum of ₦443,459,756.25, together with the approved additional works of ₦137,135,481.75, therefore brings the total project value to approximately ₦578.6 million,” the government said.
It stressed that the December 2025 award of approximately ₦443.46 million and the August 2026 figure of approximately ₦578.6 million should not be interpreted as two separate contracts for the same project.
Rather, the latter represents the original contract sum plus the cost of additional works, subject to the requisite approval process.
The government added that the additional works are yet to commence pending approval by the State Executive Council, while the main construction has already reached an advanced stage, with the structural elements completed.
On the procurement process, the government said due process was followed in accordance with the Ekiti State Public Procurement Re-enacted Law, 2020.
It said three vendors — Kelvinkay Global Nigeria Limited, Dowab Nigeria Limited and Doylit Resources Nigeria Limited — were invited to submit quotations under the selective tendering method.
Following evaluation, Doylit Resources Nigeria Limited emerged with the most responsive bid of ₦443,459,756.25.
The recommendation was subsequently forwarded to the State Tenders Board and later ratified by the State Executive Council, after which the official letter of award was issued.
The government therefore maintained that the contract was neither arbitrarily awarded nor increased without a procurement process and appropriate government consideration.
On the alleged connection between the contractor and a serving political appointee, the government said the fact that an individual who is a director of the company also serves as a Senior Special Assistant to the governor does not, by itself, establish procurement fraud, conflict of interest or a breach of procurement law.
It said what was material was whether the procurement process complied with the law, whether the company met the tender requirements and whether the award passed through the prescribed evaluation and approval procedures.
The government further noted that Doylit Resources Nigeria Limited was incorporated in August 2022, before the appointment of the individual referenced as a Senior Special Assistant in December 2023.
It said the chronology did not support any suggestion that the company was created for the purpose of securing contracts from the present administration.
The government also rejected the suggestion that the relatively recent incorporation of a company automatically makes it ineligible for public contracts.
It explained that eligibility is determined by the requirements of the particular procurement exercise and applicable law, including technical, financial, personnel, equipment and other stipulated requirements.
“Accordingly, the fact that a company is relatively young does not constitute evidence that a contract awarded to it was improper,” the government said.
The administration of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji reiterated its commitment to transparency, accountability, due process and value for money in the management of public resources.
It said the state had deliberately embraced open contracting and public disclosure of procurement information to facilitate scrutiny by citizens, the media and other stakeholders.
The government also said it remains committed to observing applicable conflict-of-interest, disclosure and procurement safeguards in the execution of public projects.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that a company linked to an aide to Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, secured a N578.6 million contract from the state government for the construction of an e-office and conference hall for the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in Ado-Ekiti.
The contract was awarded to Doylit Nigeria Resources Limited at a total value of N578,595,238, according to procurement records published on the Ekiti State Open Contracting Portal.
The project, titled “Construction of E Office and Conference Hall for the Bureau of Public Procurement Ado Ekiti,” lists the Bureau of Public Procurement as the procuring entity, with Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, identified as the project location.
The contract was awarded and published on August 17, 2026, with the procurement record carrying the Open Contracting ID (OCID) ocds-6olpk7-BPP/BPP/CONO/
However, checks by SaharaReporters showed that Doylit Nigeria Resources Limited is linked to Arojo Taiwo Adebimpe, a political appointee serving as a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Oyebanji.
Details published by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) on its beneficial ownership register list Adebimpe as a director of Doylit Nigeria Resources Limited.
Adebimpe is listed as the governor’s Senior Special Assistant in charge of the Akure Liaison Office.
A review of available procurement records indicates that Doylit did not secure a government contract before Adebimpe's appointment.
However, about two months after she assumed office, the company secured its first recorded government contract.
The N15 million contract was for the clearing of 10 hectares of land at Ijesa Isu Agric Development.
Since then, the value of contracts awarded to the company has increased substantially.
On December 18, 2025, Doylit Nigeria Resources Limited was awarded a N443.4 million contract for the “Construction of BPP E-office and Conference Hall.”
The latest contract, valued at N578.6 million, is also for the construction of an e-office and conference hall for the BPP.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, on the development and the apparent award of similar contracts for the same BPP e-office and conference hall project had proved abortive as of the time the report was filed.
The commissioner did not respond to messages or answer calls when contacted as of the time of filing this report.