The Ekimogun Roundtable, a socioeconomic group comprising Ondo indigenes both at home and in the Diaspora, has taken legal action against the Border Community Development Agency (BCDA) over alleged breaches of procurement regulations in awarding a contract for the Yaba Youth and Women Empowerment Project in Ondo West Local Government Area.
The lawsuit, filed under suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1788/2024 at the Federal High Court, Abuja, before Honorable Justice Obiora A. Egwuatu, seeks a declaration that the BCDA violated Section 18(a) of the Public Procurement Act 2007, which mandates a needs assessment and evaluation before executing any public contract. The group argues that this legal requirement ensures proper community engagement while preventing corruption, waste, and misapplication of public funds.
Additionally, the suit claims that BCDA contravened Section 16(1d) of the Public Procurement Act 2007, which requires that all public procurement processes be transparent, timely, and equitable to maintain accountability. The Ekimogun Roundtable insists that empowerment items should not be arbitrarily selected by the BCDA without proper legal procedures, including assessing and evaluating the actual needs of the intended beneficiaries.
Represented by counsel N.D. Abdulsallam, Esq., leading eight other lawyers, the group argues that Yaba’s youth and women—many of whom are breadwinners and decision-makers—deserve empowerment programs tailored to their specific economic needs. The suit emphasizes that the federal government allocated funds for the empowerment of Yaba youth and women, and BCDA, as the implementing agency, must engage the community in designing the program rather than imposing predetermined empowerment items.
"The actual needs, aspirations, and priorities of Yaba youth will be jeopardized if BCDA fails to conduct the mandatory needs assessment before commencing the empowerment program," the suit states. "Only through this process can the beneficiaries be meaningfully and sustainably empowered."
The Ekimogun Roundtable is asking the court to issue an order compelling the BCDA to engage directly with the Yaba youth to assess their needs before implementing the empowerment scheme. The case is scheduled for hearing on March 3, 2025.
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