Ronchess Global Resources Plc has responded to recent allegations regarding the involvement of Pastor Adeolu Adeboye, son of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), in a series of contracts awarded by the Kaduna State Government.
The company firmly denied claims that Pastor Adeboye, a director on the company’s board, was involved in securing or mishandling over N8 billion in contracts awarded during the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The controversy began when SaharaReporters published an article on August 27, 2024, alleging that Adeolu Adeboye, through his position at Ronchess Global Resources Plc, received lucrative contracts from the Kaduna State Government, only to abandon the projects after completing just 30% of the work.
The report claimed that Pastor Adeolu had been evading accountability for the alleged mismanagement of funds and the incomplete projects.
These allegations have sparked significant public interest due to Adeolu Adeboye’s prominent family background, as well as the scale of the contracts involved. The situation has also raised questions about the transparency and integrity of government contract awards in Kaduna State.
In a detailed rejoinder dated August 30, 2024, and signed by Adesoji Adedoyin, Esq., on behalf of Ronchess Global Resources Plc, the company refuted the claims made in the report. The statement emphasised that Pastor Adeolu Adeboye was not a member of the company’s board at the time the contracts were awarded and had no involvement in securing the contracts.
“Pastor Adeolu Adeboye was never awarded any contract by the Kaduna State Government,” the statement read. “In fact, Pastor Adeolu Adeboye was not even instrumental to the award of the contracts. He was neither a board member nor a shareholder of Ronchess at the time the contract was awarded to Ronchess.”
According to the company, Adeolu Adeboye only joined Ronchess Global Resources as a director in 2021, a year after the contracts were awarded. The company further explained that the contracts in question were part of a broader initiative under the Kaduna Urban Renewal Road Component and the Zaria Urban Renewal Road Component, both awarded in 2020.
Ronchess Global Resources outlined the specific contracts awarded by the Kaduna State Government. These included several major road projects, such as the Isa Kaita Road, the Sultan Road, and the Kofar Doka Bridge, among others.
The total value of these contracts was initially set at over N19.7 billion but was later revised to approximately N32.6 billion due to inflation and additional work that was not included in the original agreement.
The company admitted that work on these projects was halted, but attributed the stoppage to the Kaduna State Government’s failure to make payments for completed portions of the work. According to Ronchess, the government still owes the company N1.39 billion for work already done, which has contributed to the delay in completing the projects.
Ronchess Global Resources also addressed the financial aspects of the contracts, clarifying that the company had provided an Advance Payment Guarantee (APG) to the Kaduna State Government. This guarantee was intended to ensure that the company could access funds to begin work on the projects.
The APG was discharged by the government after consultants verified the work completed by Ronchess, leading to the issuance of a Certificate of Valuation, which allowed the company to request further payments.
Despite these arrangements, the company claims that it has yet to receive full payment for the work done, which has hindered its ability to complete the projects. The statement suggests that the lack of payment from the Kaduna State Government, rather than any misconduct on the part of Pastor Adeolu Adeboye or Ronchess, is the reason for the unfinished projects.
Pastor Adeolu Adeboye’s involvement in Ronchess Global Resources has been a focal point of public interest, largely due to his father’s influential position as the leader of one of Nigeria’s largest religious organizations. However, Ronchess Global Resources has emphasized that Adeolu’s role as a director began after the contracts were awarded and that he played no part in their negotiation or execution.
The company’s statement appears to be an effort to protect Pastor Adeolu from any association with the alleged mismanagement and to clarify that his involvement with Ronchess has been above board and in line with legal and ethical standards.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Government has not yet issued a formal response to Ronchess’s claims that it failed to pay for completed work.
