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| Ngige. |
The First Prosecution Witness, PW1 Mr Pedro Torwuese Chellen in the trial of former governor of Anambra State and former Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige on Wednesday January 28, 2026 told a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Gwarimpa, Abuja, and presided over by Justice M.A. Hassan said that the company that won the contract for renovation of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund NSITF, Makurdi office at the cost of N80 million (Eighty Million Naira only) did not take part in the contract bidding.
Led in his
testimony by prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, the witness an
entrepreneur and project manager of Imanil Haq Nigeria Limited told the court
that his company briefed its lawyers to petition the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, after it discovered that the company which the
NSITF contract was awarded to was not part of the bidding process.
Following
the petition, the witness disclosed that he was invited to the EFCC, where his
statements were taken. Upon identifying the petition in court and the bid
documents attached to it, it was admitted as Exhibit P1.
The witness,
in the course of his testimony, narrated how his company applied for the
contract and participated in the bidding process following its advertisement in
the papers
According
to him, following the loss by his company, he wrote to the management of NSITF,
requesting for details concerning the award of contract, to which he said,
nothing came out of it, leading him to appeal to Bureau of Public Procurement,
BPP, where it was revealed that the contract was awarded to a company, which
did not participate in the bidding process.
During
cross examination by defence counsel P.I.N. Ikwueto SAN, the witness disclosed
that his petition was against the management board of NSITF. Speaking further,
he said that he also complained about the change of title of the contract from
“‘Renovation of Makurdi Office’ to ‘Construction of Makurdi Office,’” adding
also that the initial cost N80 million (Eighty Million Naira only) was also
hiked to N120 million (One Hundred and Twenty Million Naira only) by the
management board of the NSITF.
While
acknowledging that he made this statement to the EFCC in 2023, he observed that
there was massive corruption in NSITF and further acknowledged that while he
has not attended any management meeting of NSITF board, he learned through the
media that the board was later reconstructed.
The matter
was adjourned till January 29, 2026.
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