Nelson Mandela freedom park management
……….bristol construction and engineering company cries out over shortchanging by the state of Osun government.
The popular Nelson Mandela park at Olaiya in Osogbo is a monumental recreation center where families, young men and ladies, Schools and other categories of people in the society visits for relaxation, to have meetings, birthday events etc.
It’s however so sad in the last three and a half years how the glory of the Freedom Park got eroded away and became an eyesore due to neglect which could be as a result of the rift between the immediate past chief of staff in the State of Osun and the present governor, Gov Gboyega Oyetola and his former boss Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who is also the current Minister of Interior which has led to the present government abandoning projects of his predecessor.
To set the record straight, early in 2018, there was an advertisement in The Nation newspaper that the State of Osun needed a firm to take up the management of Nelson Mandela Freedom Park job and Bristol Construction and Engineering Company alongside five others companies applied before Bristol Construction and Engineering Company finally emerged.
Copy of the expression of interest paper
On the 2nd of November 2018, the State of Osun entered into a 30 years business agreement with Bristol Construction and Engineering company to be in charge of the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park management under Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and the then Chief of staff, Gov. Oyetola, a defacto governor who one would not have made any mistake to say he has details of the timeframe of the contractual agreement off hands.
After Bristol Construction took over the work then and inspected the park, the company itemized things that were needed to be put in place to make their work easy and sent to governor Oyetola but received no response from him but was invited for a meeting after some month and after that meeting nothing was done again. The manager thereafter said he took it upon himself to send an email to Mr. Governor and Mr governor replied by referring him to his Chief of staff which was also fruitless.
In other to play his own part as expected of him, he also wrote to the number three man in the State of Osun, i.e Mr speaker, Rt. Honorable Owoeye detailing everything about the contractual agreement but nothing was also done from his side as well.
What happened next was a call he received from within the government circle informing him that the contract has been awarded to someone else to do, the action a layman does not need to look up in the dictionary before he/she tells you it’s a breach of contract. Fine, the contract could be revoked but due process has to be followed. Inline with the contract in question, there has to be 3 months notification after which there will be a meeting between the two parties and compensation follows.
The management of Bristol Construction and Engineering Company said the contract papers are still very much available with them and he knows what to do with it but doesn’t want to go on legal battle with the government right immediately but wish to intimate the general public about it and perhaps wait to see if the government will be happy to do the appropriate thing within the shortest possible time. And that perhaps Mr. Governor might likely not be aware of the breach of contract situation.
Contract agreement are meant to be honored and respected and if there is any cause for any changes, both parties should be actively involved. One side should not see him/herself as superior over the other, it’s business.
Agreement was drawn by attorney generals office
Agreement was signed by the then commissioner and Director of commerce
Bristol has invested millions of naira and time to the investment
Bristol signed a ppp agreement with the state
Bristol has been having meetings and communication with Commerce
Bristol has been even sued with the state on part of the land by the land owners still in court.
Documents and reports were made to;
Mr Governor
The speaker
Attorney generals office and
Chief of staff
