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 told a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Gwarimpa, Abuja, and presided over by Justice M.A. Hassan 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 reconstituted.
The matter was adjourned till January 29, 2026.
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