Photo: President Silanyo lays the foundation stone for Egal international airport upgrade on Sunday, 27 May, 2012.
HARGEISA — The recently announced expansion plan for Hargeisa’s Egal international airport is likely to collapse after a secret scandal has emerged just days after commissioning the project. The scandal is likely to rock Somaliland to its core including the government, private sector and other sectors of society.
Plans to expand the airport was officially launched on Sunday (May 27) after President Ahmed Silanyo laid the foundation stone for a $5.61 million upgrade.
The minister of Aviation Mohamud Hashi Abdi said the tender to upgrade the facility to international standards was awarded to China Hono Group (CHG). Since the announcement by Mr. Abdi, a report has emerged that revealed that the mentioned company was a hoax and was not even in the construction industry.
China Hono Group (CHG) is a mining company which has small staff in Somaliland. Several times the company was accused of involving in another elaborate scandal which involves the smuggling of rare and precious minerals out of the country.
Their representative to Somaliland, Abdirisaq Omani (Cumaani in Somali), is both the nephew of President Ahmed Silaanyo and the man awarded with the lucrative deal of upgrading the airport.
Mr. Omani, who did not have a construction company nor any experience, approached Mohamed Abdirahman Gadhyare, the representative of China Roads and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). He first heard about CRBC and their work during their recent upgrade of Jigjiga’s airport in nearby Somali region of Ethiopia.
Mr. Omani insisted that CRBC commissions the work on behave of him for just over $1 million. This was a far cry from the $10 million that the government of Kuwait has donated for Egal airport and Berbera airport upgrades.
Mr. Gadhyare who was shocked by the hoax and scam deal which involved the President, decided to contact local media whom he hoped would help stop the fraud deal. Mr. Gadhyare also stated in a statement to the media that Abdirisaq Omani got together foreign miners from CHG and presented them to the media as construction workers and engineers. He declared that officials from CRBC were on their way to the country and that he will soon release documents proving the hoax deal including files purporting to be tender offer from Mr. Omani.
Other reports have also indicated that President Silanyo has awarded the expansion project in Berbera airport to one of his relatives, who like Mr. Omani, has no official construction firm. They said the mentioned Ethiopian company is all fraud and does not exist.
Ahmed Yusuf, a local activist says the government should be held accountable. “Despite receiving bids from established companies with good economic empowerment credentials, the President decided to award his nephew, we never heard of such case in Somaliland,” he said.
Companies such as Daryeel Construction with over thirty years of experience were blacklisted and their bid was dismissed in the early stages.
“What else is the president and his government hiding? I am sure after this scandal, the Somaliland people will not see the government the same. They are nepotists on a grand scale,” he insisted.
Other reports indicated the government mismanaged millions of dollars including food aid and were currently in the process of trying couple of people for it. Some locals believe the individuals facing a local court, including Haji Abdullahi Governor of Marodi Jeeh, Ahmed Elmi Barre, director general in the Ministry of Resettlement and Rehabilitation and Osman Saeed Jama personal advisor to the vice president, are innocent.
The expansion works to upgrade the two airports to regional standards is likely to collapse after these revelations. It is also a snub shot into Somaliland’s widely practiced corruption and nepotism at many levels including enterprise and government.
The government of Kuwait, through Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, has pledged $10 million for Hargeisa’s Egal international airport and Berbera airport, a coastal town on the Red sea.
All documents will be made public in the coming days so Somaliland people know the truth about their country and those in charge.
Somalilandpress
http://somalilandpress.com/somaliland-t ... aled-29522
