NSITF Scandal: Court Told Ngige Approved N80m Contract For Firm That Never Bid

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Gwarimpa, Abuja, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, heard damning testimony that a company which did not participate in a bidding process was awarded an N80 million contract for the renovation of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) office in Makurdi during the tenure of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige.
Testifying as the first prosecution witness (PW1), Mr. Pedro Torwuese Chellen, an entrepreneur and project manager of Imanil Haq Nigeria Limited, told the court presided over by Justice M.A. Hassan that the contract was awarded in clear violation of due process.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, Chellen explained that his company duly applied and participated in the bidding process after the contract for the renovation of the NSITF Makurdi office was publicly advertised. However, following the eventual loss of the bid, his firm discovered that the contract was awarded to a company that never took part in the bidding exercise.
He disclosed that upon this discovery, Imanil Haq Nigeria Limited instructed its lawyers to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He said he was subsequently invited by the anti-graft agency, where his statements were taken. The petition, along with the attached bid documents, was tendered in court and admitted as Exhibit P1.
The witness further told the court that after losing the bid, he formally wrote to the management of NSITF requesting clarification on the contract award, but received no response. This, he said, compelled his company to escalate the matter to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), where it was revealed that the contract had indeed been awarded to a non-participating company.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, P.I.N. Ikwueto, SAN, Chellen clarified that his petition was directed at the management board of the NSITF. He also raised concerns about alleged alterations to the contract, including a change in its title from “Renovation of Makurdi Office” to “Construction of Makurdi Office.”
According to him, the original contract sum of N80 million was later inflated to N120 million by the NSITF management board, a development he described as part of what he termed “massive corruption” within the agency.
While admitting that he made his statement to the EFCC in 2023, Chellen said he was not a member of the NSITF management board and had never attended its meetings. He added that he later learned through media reports that the board was subsequently reconstituted.
Justice M.A. Hassan adjourned the matter to January 29, 2026, for continuation of hearing.