Alleged corruption in NSITF: EFCC witness appears in court
The case involving former Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige, over allegations of corruption and favouritism in awarding contracts continued on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided by Justice Mirian Hassan.
The charges arose from allegations relating to the award of contracts during Ngige's tenure as Minister of Labour and Employment and his supervision of the NSITF.
At the resumed hearing, a prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Dr Maduka Onwusoro, a former Director Procurement 2019–2023, told the court under cross examination by the defence counsel, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, that even though he was the Head of Procurement, he only heard there was a presidential approval, but that he didn't see the approval.
According to him, he was just carrying out directives from the minister routed through the Permanent Secretary on the NSITF matters.
Shown a letter he authored to the Managing Director of NSITF directing them to send all procurement activities to his office and to redeploy all officers of their department, Onwusoro said he was carrying out directives from the Permanent Secretary.
He claimed he couldn't remember the name of the then Permanent Secretary.
Presented with an internal memo from the Minister to the Permanent Secretary forwarding all the presidential approvals under "secret" cover, he claimed he had never seen it but that the Permanent Secretary directed him orally.
When the defence pointed out to him that he was infact a member of the Presidential panel of investigation on Procurement, Financial and Administrative breaches in the NSITF set up by the office of Secretary to the Government, he admitted being a member and also affirmed that the removal of the Procurement from the NSITF into the Ministry was one of their recommendations as a panel, but claimed he was only a member not the Chairman.
The witness was also shown a CTC of a letter to the Minister from the Chief of Staff to the then President from the Legal Department of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment which conveyed the approval of that aspect of the panel's recommendation, he again said he was seeing it for the first time, but agreed that the approval was their recommendation.
Asked by the defence counsel why he did not as a seasoned public servant go to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment at least to enquire from the Permanent Secretary's office, he said he didn't know he could do that.
The Presidential approvals of June 24, 2021, 8 March 8, 2021, and the internal memo to the Permanent Secretary were tendered as exhibits and admitted in evidence by the court.
Meanwhile, the court has adjourned the matter to February 9, 2027.