BP believes the Minister now must explain his numbers or subject the entire project to a public audit!
Nassau – In an article presented in the morning daily [Tribune], where Minister of Works Desmond Bannister suggested that the National Stadium will now cost taxpayers a whopping $43 million – but he cannot explain his numbers.
Bahamas Press has looked deeply into the records, particularly after we alerted the public some months ago on the issue that the crane on the site was costing taxpayers millions.
Readers and journalists presenting information on this project must remind Bannister how the contract sum signed under the former government was just under $22M. The design projection “was” $16.5M however the addition of contract supplements and the decision to have a synthetic field raised the total to $22M. Eventually, in a Phase II, some additional four fields with stands and lights was projected with a cost of 6-8 million.
Anyone applying basic math would agree that that’s where the 30M original cost for the Andre Rodgers National Softball Stadium came from, but over two phases.
And here are some facts Desmond Bannister omitted telling the press:
The cause of the damages was the fault of the present government that did not attend to the project when they came to power for over 15 months. The largest of the damages was for the crane, which cost taxpayers some $150,000 per month!
And so, even with the 150k X 15 months, this would have only brought the project to around $30m + $2.250m, for a total sum of around $32m – $33M. How the Minister get to tell the press the Softball Stadium will cost an additional $10million [$43 million] cannot be explained! He must think this is another BPL rip-off!
Where the $43 million cost comes from is also explainable! Minister Bannister’s statements are extreme political exaggeration! The Minister has also lost his credibility, especially over the BPL matter, and just might be attempting to shift the conversation from his corruption and lying incidents at BPL!
It should be noted that “an existing employee” did this present budget review and the review done recently was not done under the former administration. So how does the Former Government get in this? Also, no member of the design team have any input in this new budgetary review preparation; yet, the former government is to blame? Desmond Bannister! GIVE US A BREAK! Explain to us how you jacked up the Softball Stadium by $10 million!
We report yinner decide!
