The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has quizzed former minister, Dr Chris Ngige, over his role in some contracts and jobs racketeering in one of the agencies when he held sway.
Ngige was Minister in charge of Labour and Employment Ministry in the cabinet of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The former Minister was said to be with the crack detectives of the ICPC for about five hours on Wednesday to answer some probing questions on how some contracts were awarded to the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), according to Daily Trust.
ICPC had invited some top officials of the NSITF to question the overpayment of N47 million gratuity to the immediate-past MD of the agency, Mrs. Maureen Allagoa when she was still serving.
It was reported in December 2022 that Ngige subtly approved a last-minute N20 billion contract for the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSTIF) as documents obtained showed.
It was gathered that Ngige allegedly hurriedly approved the contract without any diligent process to use the means as a conduit to access alleged N20 billion government funds.
According to the contract papers, it was a contract agreement between the NSTIF Management Board and one P2E Technologies said to be located at Adeleye Close, Utako, Abuja, and titled, “Procurement of E-NSITF Digitalisation/ Automation of the Fund’s activities and processes (E-Infrastructure.”
Top sources said that if urgent steps were not taken to stop the minister, the said contract would lead to the withdrawal of at least N20 billion from the NSTIF’s coffers.
“This is one of too many fictitious Contracts awarded that will not be executed within this short ministerial cabinet reshuffle. This is an Emergency Contract Agreement Awarded by the NSITFMB. The Head of Legal Department hurriedly prepared it and it was transferred to one Madam Ijeoma Okoronkwo, Board Secretariat Office Department on Thursday,” the source had revealed.
“The said contractor who was already seated at the Madam Board Secretary’s Office signed the Agreement. The Contract Agreement was immediately smuggled to Ngige on the same Thursday by the Board Secretary of the NSITF for the minister’s urgent consideration. This is one of such Emergency contracts amid many others,” another source confirmed.
“If the NSITF Accounts are not immediately frozen between now and next week, a minimum of N20 billion will be lost. Minister Ngige prepared this last-minute contract of N20 billion before he later decided to withdraw his presidential ambition.”
Earlier, Ngige said he had withdrawn from the 2023 presidential race and hence remained in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet as a minister.
