A prosecution witness in the trial of former Anambra State Governor and ex-Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, has disclosed to a Federal Capital Territory High Court that a contract for the renovation of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) Makurdi office was allegedly awarded to a company that did not participate in the bidding process.
Mr. Pedro Torwuese Chellen, the first prosecution witness (PW1) and an entrepreneur, made the disclosure before Justice M.A. Hassan at the FCT High Court, Gwarimpa, Abuja.
Mr. Chellen, the project manager of Imanil Haq Nigeria Limited, told the court that his company had applied for the contract, advertised publicly, but later discovered that the award went to another firm that had not submitted a bid.
According to him, his company subsequently petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), leading to his invitation for statements at the commission.
The petition, along with the bid documents, was admitted in court as Exhibit P1.
Led by prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, Mr. Chellen detailed how, after losing the bid, he approached NSITF management for clarification but received no response.
He appealed to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), which reportedly revealed that the contract had indeed been awarded to a non-participating company.
During cross-examination by defence counsel P.I.N. Ikwueto, SAN, he clarified that his petition was directed at the NSITF management board.
He further expressed concerns about the change in the contract title from “Renovation of Makurdi Office” to “Construction of Makurdi Office” and a cost increase from N80 million to N120 million.
Acknowledging that he made his statement to the EFCC in 2023, Mr. Chellen described the NSITF as “plagued by massive corruption.”
He noted that he had not attended any NSITF board meetings but learned from media reports that the board was later reconstituted.
