A former member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Bashiru Bolarinwa, and the Kwara State Government have expressed different opinions on the N38bn road projects in the state.

The state Commissioner for Works and Transport, Dr. Amuda Kannaike, had claimed that from inception of the Abdulfatah Ahmed administration till date, the state government had spent about

N38bn on inherited and new road projects.

But Bolarinwa, in a statement on Tuesday, alleged that the state government was wasting public funds in the guise of executing projects.

According to him, some of the projects executed during the past administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki and the current government are substandard.

Bolarinwa, who was a governorship aspirant in Kwara State in the 2011 elections, alleged that the government was patronising contractors that lacked professional competence in handling road construction.

He also said that the contract amounts were over bloated.

He called on the government to be more sincere in its dealings and make judicious use of public funds.

He also advised the public to put the government agencies and their contractors on their toes by insisting on quality jobs.

"It is disturbing that in a sheer display of arrogance and lack of accountability in public office, the government in Kwara State has continued to waste public funds on projects that would have hitherto

ameliorated the plight of the people.

"The commissioner should name roads with pictorial attachments in the rural areas that they have either constructed or rehabilitated support access to farmlands."

But the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communication, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, said the projects executed by the state government were of high standard.

He added that the government had been prudent in the management of funds, adding that there was no waste and inflation of the contract sum.

Akorede said, "To set the records straight, the Ahmed administration has since inception driven road projects with a total contract sum of N38bn.

"Of this amount, approximately half (N19bn) has so far been paid to the various contractors under the payment matrix agreed with the state government and subject to fund availability.

"These roads include inherited and completed projects, inherited and ongoing projects, projects started and completed by the Ahmed administration as well as those initiated by it and are at various stages of completion."