N458m Bribe Scandal:Full report by IMHA special ad-hoc committee
1. BACKGROUND
Sequel to a report by the Hon Member, representing Orsu State Constituency and Chairman Joint State/Local Governments Projects in the plenary sitting of the House on Wednesday, 20th February 2013 on the progress or otherwise, made so far on the execution of road contracts awarded to some contractors in the state.
He reported on the slow pace of work by both Messrs JPROS International Nig Ltd and Timik construction Coy in Owerri and Orlu Municipalities respectively. In his view the underlisted roads can be deemed as being abandoned by the contractors after collecting over 100% payment.
(a) Ware-house Orlu Road junction
(b) Odunze Aba Road
(c) Amaigbo Street to old Nekede Road
(d) Dualization of Orlu Main Town
Consequent upon this, the Rt. Hon. Speaker constituted a six-man special Ad-hoc Committee comprising the following Hon. Members to investigate the matter and report back on Tuesday 24th February, 2013.
1. MEMBERSHIP
(1) Hon, Simeon Iwunze - Chairman
(2) Hon, Ikenna Emeh - Member
(3) Hon. Greg Okemili - Member
(4) Hon. Innocent Ekeh - Member
(5) Hon. Kingsley Dimaku - Member
(6) Hon. Samuel Anyanwu - Member
2. TERMS OF REFERENCE
To obtain the following
a. Award letters/approval
b. Certificate of work done
c. The total contract sum
d. The amount paid so far, and who made approvals for the payments.e. The extent of the physical job done with pictures/evaluations
f. The possibility of the contractor fulfilling his contractual agreement or otherwise.
3. IN COMMITTEE
The committee immediately got inaugurated and set modalities for the investigation, it invited the following persons/ representatives of companies in these road projects to appear before it on Friday 22nd February, 2013 with the necessary documents relation to the contracts.
The persons invited were:
(a) His Excellency, the deputy Governor of the State/Former Commissioner for works and Transport.
(b) The Principal secretary to the Governor
(c) The current Commissioner for Works
(d) The Commissioner for Finance
(e) The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works and Transport and his Directors/line officers
(f) The Accountant-General of the State
(g) The representative of JPROS International Nig Ltd.
(h) The representative of Timik construction Coy. Ltd.
All those invited to appear before the Committee did so on several invitations and were interrogated except the representative of Timik Construction Coy. Ltd. Who claimed on phone that he was deadly sick and receiving treatment in an hospital in Lagos with a promise to meet the Committee once he recovered.
The permanent Secretary Ministry of Works and Transport, Mr. Alex Nlebedum in his evidence before the Committee turned mountain of document relating to the award and execution of the contracts under investigation but most relevant to this Committee are:
(a) A letter captioned award of contract for the construction of 3 No. Roads – Warehouse Orlu Road Junction –Odunze Street and Amaigbo Street Old Nekede Road. Ref: MOW/COMM/18/S.1/V1/57 dated 1st February, 2012 addressed to His Excellency. The Executive Governor of Imo State. Signed by Alex Nlebedum Permanent Secretary.
The letter reads the above road contracts being handled by JPROS International Nig. Ltd have been re-negotiated downwards from N1,312,106,874.00 (One Billion, Three Hundred and Twelve Million, One Hundred and Six Thousand, Eight Hundred and Seventy-Four Naira only to N1,150,000,000.00 (One Billion, One Hundred and Fifty, One Hundred and Six Thousand Eight Hundred Seventy four Naira) but the contract was re-negotiated downwards after Two Hundred Million Naira first advance payment had been made owing to the fact that some aspects of the job were removed, this brought the total sum of the contract to One Billion One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N1,150,000,000), the first advance payment of two hundred million inclusive of this total sum.
Your Excellency may wish to consider the above and direct further please.
(b) A copy of the contract agreement between Ministry of Works and Transport, for State Government on one hand and JPROS International Nig Ltd. On the other hand.
(c) A letter captioned, award of contract for the construction of 3 No. Road – Warehouse Orlu Road Junction – Odunze Street and Amaigbo street Old Nekede Road. Dated 3rd February, 2012 signed by Dr. Pascal C. Obi (Ksm) Principal Secretary to the Governor addressed to the Hon. Commissioner Ministry of Finance Imo State.
The letter reads:
I am directed to refer to your letter Ref: MOW/COMM/18/S.1/V1/57 dated 1st February, 2012 on the above mentioned subject matter (copy attached) and to convey His Excellency, the Governor’s approval for the release of the sum of N1,150,000,000.00 (One Billion, One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) only to the Ministry of Works for the execution of the aforementioned projects.
2. Copies of this letter are being endorsed to His Excellency, the Deputy Governor/Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Works and the Account-General, Imo State for their information and necessary action.
3. Take necessary steps to implement His Excellency, the Governor’s directive.
d. A cope of the evaluated works of JPROS International Nig Ltd so far amounting to N195,276,870, signed by the Director of Planning Research and Statistics Ministry of Works and Transport Mr. Ike Maduabuchi was presented to the Committee.
NB: The oral interviews arguments and interrogations, that ensured between the Committee and its invitees does not worth the acre of this report.
The Committee in the cause of its investigation found out that JPROS International Nig Ltd had earlier expressed interest for this job at the sum of N1,312,106,874,00 (One Billion three Hundred and twelve million ……….
The contractor accepted it in writing.
When the permanent Secretary Ministry of Works and Transport was asked whether the reply to his letter of Governor seeking approval for the contract to be executed at a total sum of One Billion One Hundred and fifty Million only, was what he got in a letter dated 3rd February addressed to the Commissioner Ministry of Finance?
He said no, that he expected an approval only and not release of fund.
Mr. Nick Oparadudu current Commissioner for Works in his own interview with the Committee said that he was yet to take over from the former Commissioner for Works, His Excellency the Deputy Governor therefore was not in a position to interview Committee on the subject matter.
Deacon Chike Okafor the Commissioner for Finance in his interview with the Committee was asked why he paid JPROS International Nig Ltd sum of One Billion One Hundred and Fifty Million only when the letter addressed to him dated 3rd February, 2012 signed by Dr. Pascal Obi (Ksm) expressly stated that the money be paid to Ministry of Works and Transport.
He replied that because of issues arising from the management of funds, close to One Billion Naira by the Ministry of Works and Transport for the resurfacing of Owerri Municipal roads on the advent of this administration, His Excellency, directed orally in an exco meeting that payment for road contracts be made direct to contractors by the Ministry of finance.
George Eche the Accountant-General; in his interview with the Committee was asked why he released the sum of One Billion One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira only directly to JPROS International Nig Ltd contrary to the directive on the letter endorsed to him, dated 3rd February, 2012 signed by Dr. Pascal Obi (Ksm) expressly stating that the money be released to Ministry of Works and Transport.
In his reply he said that the office of Accountant-General is one and also the only office authorized by law to make payments on behalf of the State Government and that the purpose of mentioning the Ministry in the letter was to charge the expenditure to the budgetary provision of the concerned Ministry.
He was equally asked by the Committee why he paid JPROS International Nig Ltd. Without certificate as they are conditions precedent for raising of payment vouchers by MDA’S before the apply for the approval of payment and release of money the contract from the Governor’s office. He submitted that the Accountant-General duty arises only after Governor’s approval. In the instant case he received Governor’s approval through the office of Principal Secretary to the Governor’s dated 3rd February, 2012. It is the duty of the concerned MDA’S vouchers for purposes applying for Governor’s approval and release of Money to the Contractor.
Dr. Pascal Obi (Ksm), the Principal Secretary to the Governor, in his interview with the Committee, was asked why he conveyed the authority for release of fund to Commissioner Ministry of Finance while the letter he was replying only asked for approval of the Governor for the Ministry of Works and Transport to contract the job at the new re-negotiated sum of One Billion One Hundred and Fifty Million only.
In his reply, he said that the Governor’s approval also means the release of the complete money earmarked for the project, to avoid abandonment of projects in line with the Rescue Mission Agenda.
Joseph Dina of JPROS International Nig Ltd, in his first interview with the Committee was asked to tell his story.
He informed the committed that he did not apply for the payment but he was nevertheless, not surprised because the Governor has always assured him to continue work that he will pay him 100%. When confronted as to why he will stated that compared to work he has was not overpaid. He promised to show the committee, at the committee’s readiness such works. As to why he abandoned the contract in question, he stated that he did not abandoned the job but agreed that work is slow due to the fact that he is sure of funds. The committee was embarrassed at this juncture considering the amount of money he admitted being paid by the state.
Mr. Joseph shocked the committee by telling the committee that after paying his suppliers he was owing before the payment and paying a total sum of N458.000.000.00 between February and June 2012 at the request and directive of Deputy Governor Sir Jude Agbaso he had no money left to continue the work at the expected pace.
As to the reason behind the payment to Sir Jude Agbaso, he replied that it was in consideration of Sir Jude Agbaso promise to award more contracts of 15 kilometer of Sir Jude Agbaso promise to award more contracts of 15 kilometer roads in two local Government Areas in Imo State. However, Sir Jude Agbaso was for reasons unknown to him unable to award him the promised 15kilometer roads in 2 Local Governments. This led his company into financial crises and inability to deliver the contract in question.
He asserted that he is willing and ready to deliver on the contract if he can get the N458.000.000.00 he gave to His Excellency, Sir Jude Agbaso since he could not award the 15 kilometers roads in the two Local Government which was the reason for giving him the money. But till now he has refused to return the N458.000.000.00.
Mr. Joseph Dina went on to provide the committee with his bank statement from Diamond Bank indicating the transfer of both the first and second money. The photocopies of the cheques he issued to Diamond Bank Plc in order to make the e-payment to the accounts sent to him through short message service (SMS) from His Excellency, Sir Jude Agbaso’s phone No. 0803xxxx421 and a copy of a hand written statement detailing how he used the money to the committee.
The committee further asked him how much he gave to any of these people
1. His Excellency the Governor
2. Her Excellency the wife of the Governor
3. The Speaker Imo House of Assembly
4. Deacon Chike Okafor
5. Mr. George Eche
6. Mr. Paschal C. Obi (KSM)
7. The Chairman House Committee on Works
He said he did not give any of them any money. The committee also asked him how much he gave to Permanent Secretary Mr. Alex Nlebedum, Mr. Joseph Dina murmured and finally said nothing was given to him.
His Excellency, Sir Jude Agbaso in his submission before the committeeinformed the committee that the contractor was appraised and appointed by the Ministry though did not emerge through tender. However that the contractor was selected because he showed capacity by mobilizing equipment to the state at short notice which were publicly displaced at the premises of old Imo Hotel and ready to commence work without mobilization which was in tandem with the style of the Rescue Mission Administration at inception.
On the payment in question relating to the road His Excellency averred that the payment was made by the Office of the Commissioner of Finance and Accountant –General who refused to send the money to the Ministry of Works as contained in the approval as conveyed by Dr. Paschal Obi Principal Secretary to the Governor for reasons known to the two officers.
He contended that, had the money been sent to the Ministry of Works and Transport, the over payment and unearned sum would have been noticed and avoided. Besides, there would have been need to observe compliance with due process by ensuring that payments are based on milestones achieved by the contractor.
On what steps he took when he got approval for release of money to his Ministry when looking at the ordinary meaning of the Permanent Secretary’s request, which was only requesting for Governor’s authorization to contact with Mr. JPROS at the re-negotiated rate of one billion one hundred and fifty million naira, His Excellency the Deputy Governor submitted that he only minuted to his Permanent Secretary “to deal accordingly” and he was not surprised, as the Permanent Secretary’s letter also meant request for release of money.
The committee disagreed with him and put it to him that in believing as he did that the letter dated 3rd February, 2012 meant approval and release of money for the contractor and knowing that the contractor have not earned the requisite certificates, did he not believe that he failed in his duty by not taking steps to stop the payment by advising the Accountant-General’s office as earlier payment including the N200.000.000 (Two Hundred Million Naira) only already paid to the contractor was paid directly by the Accountant-General to the contractor.
His Excellency informed the committee that from January to June he had no dealings with the contractor until June when he learnt that the contractor had been paid. He started calling him but the contractor refused to pick his calls.
His Excellency in answer to the Committee Chairman’s question as to whether he has not been in telephone communication from 1st February to 28th 2012, denied speaking with Mr. Joseph Dina in any form in the month of February 2012 and only remembered occasional former calls in the early days of the award and execution of the contract and visiting the contractors on site. He informed the committee that the contractor has not been to his house before.
However, on Sunday 3rd March 2013, the Rt. Hon. Speaker called the Committee Chairman, Hon Barr. Simeon Iwunze that the Governor wants to see the committee members in the Government House, the committee members were ushered into the governor’s dining area where we met with the elders/advisers of this administration and His Excellency the Deputy Governor with the Governor presiding.
The Governor, informed the audience that he was embarrassed by the Deputy Governor when the Deputy Governor informed him that the House will impeach him on Tuesday being 5th of March. And that the rumour making the rounds is that he collected N450.000.000.00 (Four Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) only from JPROS International Nig Ltd and His Excellency the Governor is travelling so that the Deputy Governor will be impeached in his absence. The governor said that this information jolted him that he had to cancel his proposed medical trip abroad and headed back to Owerri from Abuja. The governor informed the committee members and the elders/advisers that the essence of the gathering was for him to confirm what the problem was between the House of Assembly and the Deputy Governor.
His Excellency the Deputy Governor said that what the governor said was true as to his information to the governor and that he hereby restate that the House of Assembly wants to impeach him and that it was also rumoured that His Excellency the Governor was aware of the plot.
At this juncture, the Committee Chairman who spoke on behalf of the committee informed the audience that the committee is oblivious of any attempt to impeach the Deputy Governor and felt scandalized by the Deputy Governor’s allegation of payment to members by the Governor or any person to impeach the Deputy Governor but informed the audience that the committee is a special committee of the House set up to investigate the remote causes of abandonment of construction of some signature roads of the administration in Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe municipalities.
However, the chairman sought permission of the governor to cross examine the Deputy Governor on the issue of money he personally raised suo moto as the committee was about inviting him the next day being Monday 4th March to answer to some questions relating to exchange of money between the Deputy governor and Mr. Joseph Dina of JPROS international Nig ltd which Mr. Joseph Dina raised when he appeared before the committee. The Governor granted the chairman’s request and it was agreed that if the Deputy Governor elected to answer that the cross-examination, it shall be deemed as an evidence before the committee.
TRANSCRIPT
Chairman: Your Excellency now that you have raised the issue of money, Mr. Joseph Dine told the committee that you sent SMS to him containing two account numbers into which he paid.
1. N325,000,000.00 (Three hundred and twenty five million naira) only in February, shortly after he got the alert of payment.
2. Another N133,000,000.00 (One hundred and thirty three million naira) only in June.
3. So, Your Excellency, did you get the money as you directed Mr. Joseph Dina directly?
Deputy Governor: Meeee eeh? I did not give him any text message. I did not demand for any money from him or receive any money directly or indirectly from Joseph Chairman Your Excellency Sir, Mr. Joseph Dina equally told the committee that he was in your House at MCC road in February 2012
Deputy Governor: He has never been to my house at MCC road whether in February or any other day.
At this juncture the Governor interjected and asked the Deputy Governor “You are my son tell me the truth …. “Did you receive anything so that we can end this matter.
Deputy Governor: Your Excellency I did not receive anything any money from the contractor.
Governor Okorocha: Ok gentlemen…now that this contractor wants to put shit on the face of the executive the State is interested in the matter.
At this juncture His Excellency the Governor set up a committee of all Elders/Advisers of the administration led by Prof Dike SAN to assist the Executive and resolve any face off between the Deputy Governor and the House of assembly if any, but the committee should continue with their assignment and if any body is found guilty he should pay for it including me, the Governor.
The committee reminded the Deputy Governor of his appointment with the committee the following day being Monday at 10am and graciously agreed to oblige the committee.
On Monday 5th of March 2012 at about 10am, His Excellency the Deputy Governor appeared before the committee facing Mr. Joseph Dina of JPROS International Nig. Ltd in the interface with the committee and the following dialogue ensued:
Committee: Mr. Joseph Dina, do you know the person sitting opposite you?
Joseph Dina: Yes I know. He is the Deputy Governor. He is commissioner of works
Committee: What is his name?
Joseph Dina: Sir, Jude Agbaso
Committee: your Excellency, do you know the man sitting opposite you?
Deputy Governor: Yes I know him. He is JPROS
Committee: He said you gave him account numbers via your telephone number 0803xxxx421 directing him to pay a total sum of N458,000,000.00 (four hundred and fifty eight million naira) to those accounts? And that he actually paid in February, 2012 on the receipt of the N1.035,000,000.00 (one billion, thirty five million naira) only the sum of N325,000,000.00 (three and twenty five million naira) in favour of Three Brothers concept Ltd account no, 0045630151 with GT Bank Plc Lagos. Sort code 058266511 drawn on cheque no 30794812 of Diamond bank, account no, 0015810435 belonging to JPROS INT. NIG. LTD and another N133.000.000.00 (one hundred and thirty three million) paid in June to IHSAN BDC LTD account No, 10,5334698. Sort code 033153351 UBA PLC 27 wharf road Apapa Lagos drawn via Diamond Bank Plc cheque no; 42613519 account no 0015810435 belonging to JPROS INT NIG. LTD. Do you have any thing to say?
Deputy Governor: I say before this committee that I did not text JPROS to transfer any money to any A/C and this is the truth. JPROS is telling lies against me. Never did I at any point in time requested JPROS either oral or written to do do. He went on to say,…. “the God that guides Imo State the land of Owerri will punish you and those using you”. The creator of human being knows that you are not saying the truth”.
Committee: Mr. Joseph Dina can you tell the committee the phone number of the Deputy Governor which he used in sending to you the account numbers
Mr. Joseph Dina: Yes I have the number in my phone. (He searches his phone). The number is 0803xxxx421.
Committee: Your Excellency is this your number?
Deputy Governor: Yes it is my number
Committee: Mr. Joseph are these documents the same documents you gave the committee? (Bank documents including his bank statements shown to Mr. Joseph Dina)
Joseph Dina: Yes, Sir, they are.
Committee: Your Excellency Sir, you can you please go through these documents.
Deputy Governor: (after glancing through the documents) well I have no need for these documents. They are his and have nothing to do with me.
Committee: Did His Excellency confirm these monies you said you paid into those accounts you said he tested to you?
Mr. Joseph Dina: Yes , he confirmed them.
Committee: How?
Mr. Joseph: During phone conversations
Committee: Have you been to His Excellency’s house before?
Mr. Joseph: Yes, I have been to his MCC road private House
Deputy Governor: (Interjects) No He has not been to my house
Committee: Mr. Joseph can you describe the type of House where you met him at his MCC road House?
Joseph Dina: Is bungalow. He told me is a factory for garments before.
Deputy Governor: Noo o! Not true
Mr. Joseph: You don’t remember? You told your security to wait for me outside and give me direction because I did not know the place before.
Deputy Governor: Okaaay.. Yes I now recollect
Committee: Your Excellency Sir, are you now retracting your earlier statement that Mr. Joseph Dina have never been to your House at MCC Road?
Deputy Governor: I said I recollect now. So I withdraw my earlier statement.
Committee: Mr. Joseph What side of the house did you sit with His Excellency, the parlour, the bedroom?
Mr. Joseph: His parlour
Committee: can you tell us the sitting arrangement
Joseph Dina: I can’t remember is long time.
Committee: What happened when you got to His Excellency’s House at MCC road did he offer you anything?
Mr. Joseph Dina: No, he did not offer me anything, rather I gave him a bottle of Blue Label (Porsche design) from Mr. Joseph Dina?
Deputy Governor: Yes, I can remember receiving a bottle of Blue Label (Porsche design). You know he came back from abroad and brought me a drink.
Committee: when did this happen, Your Excellency?
Deputy Governor: it was in February 2012.
Committee: that was the same February that the said one billion one hundred and fifty million naira were wired into JPROS International Nig. Ltd account?
Deputy Governor: Y e e e s s!!
Committee: Your Excellency Sir, are you saying in the natural course of events a contractor who was awarded a contract and was suddenly paid without application by him by the state will come back from abroad and did not show ordinary courtesy of informing you. The commissioner that gave him the job in our Nigerian planet, that he has been paid and say thank you?
Deputy Governor: He never told me he had been paid
Joseph Dina: (Interjects) I told you. You said you give me text message
Deputy Governor: You are evil. You are evil. Is this the kind of creature you are?
Committee: Your Excellency Sir, if you are right this contractor must be the worst specie of ingrates
Committee: Mr. Joseph Dina do you have any other thing to tell this committee?
Joseph Dina: Yes, I equally met him once at his elder brother’s country home in his village. He was in company of the manager of Diamond bank plc Douglas Road branch Owerri – a woman.
Deputy Governor: This man is something else. You have never met me in my village.
Joseph Dina: You don’t remember. We walked outside towards the golf course area. Oh Your Excellency you don’t remember. You know Engr. Tim?
Deputy Governor: Yes I know Engr. Tim. Is my Chief of staff.
Joseph Dina: you remember you sent him to me to negotiate 10%for the job at the beginning of the job.
Deputy Governor: Is not true
Joseph Dina: You don’t remember? In your office. You showed me big files Ohakim files. You tell me help bring expert go through Ohakim files. You give jobs when I tell you that I gave Ohakim money he did not give contract. You said now is my turn to punish him back. I bring expert to help you look Ohakim files and you give me jobs and I give you 10% you remember?
Deputy Governor: Well I have told you this man is evil. He is from Hell.
Joseph Dina: Ok, you say I lie tell MTN give you call log. No no give you date data to show text message. I apply my own we compare.
Findings:
1. A total sum of N1,235,000,000 (one billion two hundred and fifty billion naira paid to JPROS International Nig. Ltd
2. Not withstanding that the permanent secretary ministry of works and transport only applied for His Excellency’s approval to enter into a contract for the construction of 3 non of roads namely warehouse –Orlu road junction Odunze street –Aba road Amaigbo street to old Nekede road a re-negotiated price of N1.150,000,000.00 (one billion, one hundred and fifty million naira) the principal secretary to the Governor conveyed approval and release of funds at the same time to the ministry of Finance and endorsed same to His Excellency the deputy governor/commissioner for works and transport and Accountant-General for their information and necessary action for the contract which is the pattern of this administration to ensure consistent flow of funds earmarked for the execution of the project as a guarantee against abandonment of projects.
3. The Accountant-General made the payment directly to the contractor JPROS International Nig. Ltd without first sending the money to the ministry of works and Transport in line with approval of His Excellency because as that time, consistent with exco memo to that effect, payment of contracts were being affected directly from the office of the accountant-General on behalf of the concerned MDA’S that have projects covered under State of Emergency declared in area of Infrastructure especially roads, at the inception of the administration.
4. The committee found laxity and lack of sense of duty in the hierarchy of the ministry of works and transport in taking appropriate steps as directed by the Governor to achieve objectives of the Rescue mission administration with regard to the contract in question. The committee frowned at the fact that it took ministry of works four months in their own words (February –June when approval was endorsed to them and when the overpayment was discovered) preparing contract papers.
5. The committee holds the view that the evidence before it consistent with facts that Mr. Joseph Dina of JPROS International Nig. Ltd transfer the total sum of N458,000,000.00 (four hundred and fifty eight million naira only) in two installments to accounts nominated by the Deputy Governor, His Excellency Sir Jude Agbaso.
6. The committee holds the view that the payment N458,000,000.00 (four hundred and fifty eight million by JPROS INTER NIG LTD out of the N1,035,000.000.00 (One Billion. Thirty Five Million Naira) only received by the contractor was the sole cause of abandonment of work on the project in question.
7. The Committee holds that the defenses put forward by the Deputy Governor, His Excellency Sir Jude Agbaos were totally inconsistent with the facts and documentary evidence brought before the committee. He lied over matters within his personal knowledge and thereby put his credibility in doubt in the eye of the committee.
8. The Committee was of the view that the Deputy Governor His Excellency, Sir Jude Agbaso for personal/proprietary interests (vide admitted receipt of Blue Label Porsche Design) decided to turn a blind eye to loss of public funds by the state and tried to hide under the cover of not making the payment directly whereas corruptly enriching himself there from and thereby abused his office as Deputy Governor and Commissioner for Works and Transport.
9. It is the opinion of the committee that his denial that he only knew that JPROS was paid N1,035,000.000.00 (One Billion Thirty Five Million Naira) only 4 months after the payment, was pre-mediated, and was intended to cover any behind the scene transaction with the contractor arising out of the payment to the contractor.
10. The committee also observed that the contractor was willing to continue with the job.
Recommendation:
The committee having weighed the evidence before it hereby recommends:
1. That a vote of no confidence be passed on the Deputy Governor, His Excellency Sir Jude Agbaso for acts unbecoming of his person and office.
2. The Head of Service should immediately commence disciplinary action in accordance with Civil Service rules against the Permanent Secretary Mr. Alex Nlebedum, Director of Planning, Research and Statistics and Resident Engineer attached to the contract for criminal negligence in the performance of their duties and report to the House of Assembly within fourteen days.
3. The State and Local Governments of Imo should blacklist Messrs JPROS International Nig Ltd from doing business with them in future after completion of the existing contracts.
4. That the Attorney-General/ Commissioner for Justice should take measures to ensure immediate recovery of the sum of N200,000.000.00 (Two Hundred Million Naira) being over payment to Messrs JPROS International Nig Ltd on the said contract.
5. The Attorney-General/Commissioner for Justice and Commissioner for Works do take immediate steps to ensure completion of the contract or recover the amount presently unearned as per certified work done by the contractor under the contract. In event of inability of the contractor to complete the contract under terms of Contract Agreement.
Conclusion
The Committee is grateful to the Rt. Hon Speaker and the House for the opportunity to be of service
Hon. Barr Simeon Iwunze - Chairman
Hon. Innocent Ekeh - Member
Hon. Barr Greg Okemili - Member
Hon Kingsley Dimaku - Member
Hon. Samuel Anyanwu - Member
Hon. Barr. Ikenna Emeh
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, on Wednesday, arraigned self-styled relationship therapist Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, popularly known as Blessing CEO, before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, over an alleged fresh ₦13 million fraud.
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Blessing CEO was arraigned before Justice Yelim Bogoro on a six-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and retaining the proceeds of an alleged unlawful act amounting to N13 million.
The latest case brings to three the number of criminal charges currently pending against the defendant before different courts in Lagos.
According to the anti-graft agency, the charges arose from multiple petitions submitted by individuals and organisations, including the Nigeria Cancer Society. The petitioners alleged that the defendant solicited donations from members of the public through social media after claiming she was battling Stage 4 breast cancer and required financial assistance for treatment.
The EFCC alleged that several donors made contributions based on the representation, only for investigations to later reveal that the medical document she presented to support her claims was allegedly falsified.
The Commission further alleged that the donations, totalling ₦13 million, were obtained under false pretences and subsequently retained by the defendant.
The arraignment marks the latest legal challenge for Blessing CEO, who is already facing two separate criminal prosecutions before courts in Lagos.
On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, she was arraigned before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, over an alleged ₦69.15 million fraud. She was charged with obtaining money by false pretence and stealing.
The EFCC alleged that she falsely represented herself as the owner of a property located at No. 1 Tunbosun Osobu Street, Lekki, and induced Hope Chiropractic Health Clinic Limited to pay ₦69.15 million for a five-year lease. The Commission further alleged that she converted the money to her personal use.
She pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge. Following submissions by counsel, Justice Oshodi ordered that the arraignment proceed and remanded her in EFCC custody pending further proceedings.
The case was adjourned until July 16, 2026, for the hearing of her bail application and commencement of trial.
Earlier on Tuesday, Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, granted Blessing CEO bail in the sum of ₦10 million with two sureties in connection with a separate alleged ₦36 million property fraud case.
The defendant, who appeared in court wearing a long black gown over black trousers, is standing trial over allegations relating to the property transaction.
EFCC counsel Suleiman Suleiman opposed her request to remain in the Commission’s custody, informing the court that the agency’s detention facilities were already overcrowded.
In his ruling, Justice Dipeolu ordered that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility pending the fulfilment of her bail conditions.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until June 22, 2026, for the continuation of trial.
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In the impatient age of quarterly capitalism, where executives are judged by immediate returns and investors demand instant gratification, patience has become one of the rarest commodities in business. Yet patience, more than brilliance or bravado, has always distinguished the true institution-builder from the mere opportunist. Few contemporary African businessmen embody this distinction more convincingly than Tony Elumelu.
As Heirs Insurance Group marks its fifth anniversary in June 2026, the milestone is significant not merely because of the company’s rapid ascent within Nigeria’s notoriously underpenetrated insurance sector, but because its story is, fundamentally, a meditation on endurance. Behind the celebratory speeches, growth metrics and corporate accolades lies a less glamorous but more revealing reality: the operational licenses that birthed Heirs Insurance took eight years to secure. Yes, you read it correctly. Eight years.
In most corporate boardrooms, eight years of regulatory limbo would have been sufficient to extinguish enthusiasm, redirect capital elsewhere and bury the idea quietly beneath the sediment of abandoned ambitions. Yet Tony Elumelu persisted. That persistence now appears less like stubbornness and more like strategic foresight.
The launch of Heirs Insurance in 2021 alongside the commissioning of Heirs Towers was never merely the unveiling of another financial-services company. It was the extension of a wider philosophical project that has animated Elumelu’s business career for decades: the conviction that African-owned institutions can achieve scale, sophistication and competitiveness comparable to any global peer.
Today, barely five years later, Heirs Insurance serves nearly two million customers across Nigeria. The Financial Times recently ranked Heirs Life Assurance seventh and Heirs General Insurance forty-first among Africa’s fastest-growing companies, a remarkable feat in a sector that has historically struggled for relevance in Nigeria’s economic life.
The statistics become even more impressive when placed against the broader context of the Nigerian insurance industry itself. Insurance penetration in Nigeria remains below one per cent of GDP, one of the lowest rates globally. In practical terms, this means millions of Nigerians continue to rely on informal family structures, religious solidarity and personal improvisation as substitutes for formal risk protection. Insurance, for many, remains distant, misunderstood or distrusted. It is precisely this structural weakness that Heirs Insurance identified as an opportunity.
Rather than replicate the orthodox models of legacy insurers—many of which remain trapped in bureaucratic inertia and elite urban markets—the company pursued a strategy built around accessibility, technology and scale. Digital onboarding replaced cumbersome paperwork. Mobile-first products lowered entry barriers. Microinsurance products targeted demographics long ignored by traditional operators. Insurance was repositioned not as an elite financial abstraction, but as an everyday instrument of economic dignity.
This was not accidental innovation. It reflected a broader understanding of Africa’s evolving economic realities. Across the continent, formal banking, telecommunications and digital commerce have expanded most successfully where firms adapted products to local realities rather than imported rigid Western templates. Heirs Insurance belongs firmly within this new generation of African institutions that understand scale emerges not from exclusivity, but from inclusion.
Equally significant has been the ecosystem advantage engineered through Heirs Holdings itself. Cross-selling synergies involving UBA, Transcorp and Heirs Energies have accelerated customer acquisition and institutional visibility in ways standalone insurers would struggle to replicate. It is an illustration of strategic integration rarely executed successfully within African conglomerates, where diversification often degenerates into incoherence. Under Elumelu, however, the architecture appears deliberate: finance, energy, hospitality and insurance reinforcing one another within a broader continental vision.
Yet perhaps the most important aspect of the Heirs Insurance story lies not in balance sheets or rankings, but in what it reveals about Tony Elumelu’s peculiar temperament as a builder of institutions. Modern business culture frequently glorifies disruption, aggression and velocity. Elumelu’s approach has often been more measured, almost old-fashioned in its emphasis on staying power. He has long understood that enduring institutions are not constructed through viral moments, but through sustained discipline, strategic patience and reputational consistency.
This philosophy has become increasingly rare in contemporary Africa, where political instability, policy unpredictability and weak institutions often encourage short-term extraction over long-term investment. The temptation for many investors is to maximize immediate returns while minimizing exposure to systemic uncertainty. Elumelu, by contrast, has repeatedly chosen the more difficult route of institutional permanence.
The eight-year wait for licensing is therefore not a footnote to the Heirs Insurance story. It is the story. For what distinguished the venture was not merely the availability of capital, but the willingness to remain committed during prolonged uncertainty. Capital, after all, is abundant globally. Conviction is scarcer. Operational leadership from senior Heirs executives such as Niyi Onifade and Wole Fayemi has undoubtedly translated vision into execution. But execution alone does not create institutions. Institutions emerge when leadership combines operational competence with philosophical clarity about purpose and time horizon.
Elumelu’s broader advocacy for raising Nigeria’s insurance penetration to three per cent of GDP similarly reflects a strategic understanding that no company can thrive sustainably within a weak ecosystem. The ambition is not merely corporate expansion, but sectoral transformation itself. If achieved, such growth would deepen financial inclusion, expand long-term domestic capital pools and strengthen economic resilience across households and businesses alike.
At a deeper level, Heirs Insurance also represents something symbolic within the African corporate imagination. For decades, African financial sectors were dominated either by foreign multinationals or by indigenous firms constrained by insufficient scale, technological weakness or governance deficiencies. The emergence of globally competitive African-owned institutions capable of combining technological sophistication with continental ambition marks an important psychological transition.
It is this larger symbolism that makes the Heirs Insurance anniversary noteworthy beyond corporate ceremony. Five years may appear brief in the lifespan of institutions. But within those five years lies evidence of something increasingly consequential in African capitalism: the emergence of patient capital guided not merely by opportunism, but by vision. Tony Elumelu’s enduring lesson is therefore deceptively simple. Institutions are not miracles. They are acts of sustained belief.
In an era intoxicated by immediacy, Heirs Insurance stands as a reminder that the most important revolutions are often quiet ones; built patiently, painstakingly and almost stubbornly over time until what once seemed improbable becomes inevitable.
In The Spotlight
Nearly three weeks have passed since 39 schoolchildren and eight of their teachers were abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. Three weeks of rain, hunger, fear, and unimaginable trauma. Three weeks of parents living in a purgatory of hope and despair. Three weeks of children sleeping on wet forest floors while their governor behaves as though time is an infinite luxury. This is not merely a failure of security. It is a failure of leadership.
Governor Seyi Makinde has responded to this crisis with a detachment so baffling, so cavalier, that it borders on dereliction of duty. At a moment when every second counts, when every drop of rain falling on those children is an indictment of the state, Makinde has chosen bureaucratic caution over moral urgency. The children are still in captivity. The governor is still dithering. And the people of Oyo are left wondering: What exactly is he waiting for?
For two weeks, hunters, traditionalists, OPC, Agbekoya, and Sunday Igboho’s network; people who know the forests, who understand the terrain, who have rescued victims before, have offered their help. They have asked for nothing but the governor’s permission so they are not later branded as “non state actors” or “bandits.” Makinde has not only refused them; he has refused to even acknowledge them. Not a meeting. Not a briefing. Not even the courtesy of a public statement.
This is the same governor who once distanced himself from Igangan’s rescue operation, only to watch as non state actors succeeded where the state failed. One would think that experience would have taught him humility. Instead, he has doubled down on a strategy of paralysis disguised as prudence. The hunters say they are ready. The OPC says it is ready. Agbekoya says it is ready. Igboho’s men say they are ready. But the governor; the one man with the constitutional authority to greenlight action is not.
Let us speak plainly. These children are not in a safe house. They are not in a guarded compound. They are in the forest, exposed to the elements, sleeping on mud, drinking whatever water they can find, and living under the psychological torture of armed captors. Every day that passes is a day of dehydration, hunger, illness, trauma and the risk of death. What is the governor’s plan? What is the strategy? Where is the urgency? The silence from Agodi is deafening.
Yes, Nigeria’s security architecture is federally controlled. Yes, state governors are constrained. But constraints are not an excuse for complacency. A responsible leader does not shrug helplessly while children are held hostage within his own state. A responsible leader does not reject help from those who know the terrain better than any police unit dispatched from Abuja. A responsible leader does not pretend that “everything is under control” when the evidence of collapse is everywhere.
In the last few days alone, there have been more kidnappings in Ibadan, more killings across the country and more evidence that criminals now operate with impunity. The truth is simple: the government has been overwhelmed. And Oyo State is not an exception; it is a symptom, but Makinde’s failure is not just tactical; it is moral. Leadership is not measured by press statements or security meetings. It is measured by the willingness to act decisively when lives hang in the balance. Makinde’s refusal to mobilize every available resource, including local actors with proven track records is not caution. It is criminal negligence. It is a betrayal of the children, their parents, and the people of Oyo State.
Nigeria’s insecurity crisis has become a political football. Ethnic blame games. Religious narratives. Partisan point scoring. Meanwhile, criminals do not ask for your tribe before abducting you. They do not check your religion before shooting. They do not care who you voted for. This is not a Fulani problem. This is not a Christian or Muslim problem. This is not a PDP or APC problem. This is a national emergency. And in Oyo State, it is a humanitarian emergency, and the Governor must act now!
Governor Makinde must authorize vetted local hunters, OPC, Agbekoya, and other community groups to join the search. He should create a joint command structure that separates genuine volunteers from charlatans, and provide logistical support to all rescue teams. Makinde should stop pretending that the current strategy is working; and demand federal reinforcement with urgency. He should prioritize the safe return of the children above all else. Nothing else matters until those children are home. The parents of Oriire do not need speeches. They do not need condolences. They do not need promises. They need their children. And the governor who swore an oath to protect them must stop hiding behind bureaucracy and start acting like the chief security officer he claims to be. History will not remember the excuses. It will remember the children, and what he did, or failed to do, to save them.
Opinions
In The Spotlight
“Thank God it is over”
“Yes oh. Now, Arsenal players and their fans can now allow all of us to rest. They have their Premier League trophy. PSG have taken the Champions League. History made on both sides. Heroes made.”
“Who is talking about Arsenal or PSG? Why is it that you, Nigerians are always so unpatriotic? Before you think of your own country, you are more concerned about what is happening in other parts of the world. When I say it is over, I am referring to the party primaries that have just been concluded in Nigeria’s political space. The INEC deadline expired on May 30.”
“Oh, I see. But it is not correct to say it is over. The correct thing to say is that Nigeria is now on a path to a new beginning, a return to high-wire politics that could have serious implications for the future. The end of the primaries is merely the commencement of warfare which Nigerian politics is.”
“Yes. Yes. I know that there will be fall-outs. After all, there have been very loud complaints about the mode of the primaries, consensus arrangements that marginalized many eligible participants and direct primaries that were openly rigged, shamelessly too. And I dare say, no party is innocent.”
“Well, well, well, I have not heard of any complaints from the African Action Congress which chose Omoyele Sowore by popular acclamation, Accord Party which announced Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) that selected former Governor Donald Duke, Governor Seyi Makinde’s Allied People’s Movement, Action Democratic Party where you have Aliyu Bin Abbas, and of course the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) which produced Peter Obi. In these parties, the choice of the flagbearers has been relatively peaceful. It is only in the APC, the PDP, and the ADC that we have had controversies.”
“Not true. There have been issues in all the parties. And this is the point that Minister Wike was making during his media chat on TV yesterday. He said those politicians in ADC and NDC who claim they know how to run Nigeria are all liars, because ordinary party primaries they could not even organize successfully.”
“Are you still taking that one serious?”
“But he has a point. No opposition party has been able to show that their party is better than the APC. We are faced with the same of the same. Wike is right to laugh at them.”
“Peter Obi, the ADC Presidential candidate has promised to generate 10, 000 MW of electricity in 4 years of the single term that he is proposing. He will also empower MSMEs and address youth unemployment. That is something different.”
‘I beg. Is power generation the problem? Electricity is a value chain. How about transmission and distribution? How about tariffs, liquidity? Leakages, wastages. And where were you when failed aspirants in the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Labour Party (LP) were asking for a refund of monies paid into the party’s coffers. In Imo State, one APC aspirant wept openly and on social media claiming that he had spent over N100 million to buy forms for the House of Representatives slot only for the party to impose a woman who never bought any form. He said it will never happen.”
“Did you say an APC aspirant?”
“Yes, from Owerri”
“If he knows what is good for him, he will keep quiet and sulk in silence. The ticket belongs to the party. Even the aspirant that challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the APC Presidential ticket is now singing his praise. And what does your Imo friend want the 14 lawmakers in the Lagos State House of Assembly who have been sent away to do, and all the Ministers who resigned their positions to run for one elective office or the other. Maybe only one of them succeeded. The Godfather system that they run in the APC simply means you have to obey and accept whatever you are given by the powers-that-be.”
“But that is not democracy. That is tyranny.”
“Who told you there is a universal model of democracy?”
“There are principles.”
“I know. Take the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) founded by countryman Senator Seriake Dickson. The party is now the beautiful bride. That is why Peter Obi and Dr Kwankwaso left the ADC and ran there.”
“Wike says Peter Obi is a food-is-ready politician! He will run to any party that others have worked hard to build.”
“Don’t mind him. They are all the same. What I am saying is that for you to join the NDC, you have to go to Seriake Dickson’s house. To get an expression of interest form, you also have to go to his house. Major meetings are also held in his house, except may be the party’s convention and that must have been due to reasons of space. That too is democracy. And look at Wike. He gave a directive to events owners and hoteliers in Abuja not to allow any “illegal political groups” to use their premises, otherwise their licenses and land titles will be revoked. The David Mark faction of the ADC fought back but the Turaki faction of the PDP ended up holding their event at an open field. I guess that too is democracy.”
“No, that is against the principles of fair play and equal access. But what do you think will happen now?”
“To be honest, I see a lot of confusion. So much uncertainty. Out of 22 registered political parties, only 11 have announced their Presidential candidates. I doubt if anyone has made any submissions to INEC
by the deadline of May 30. The deadline for moving from one political party to the other was set at May 10. Long after that deadline, we have now seen politicians moving from one party to the other. Babachir Lawal for example has dumped the ADC. Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has moved out of the APC in protest to join the NDC.”
“I believe this is because of the two conflicting judgements in the Federal High Court. Abuja Division. Youth Party vs INEC by Justice Mohammed Umar and SDP vs INEC by Justice James Omotoso. INEC has since gone to the Court of Appeal and has applied for a stay of execution. Meanwhile, everything is in abeyance. Even the lawyers are taking one side or the other, offering conflicting interpretations.”
“Whether we like it or not, Nigeria’s 2027 general elections will be determined by the courts, not by the voters. Look at the confusion in the parties, especially the ADC which has three factions, three Presidential candidates – the Nafiu Bala Gombe faction with Chris Uba, the Kachikwu faction with Dumebi Kachikwu and the David Mark-led faction with Atiku Abubakar. Then the PDP with two factions, two Presidential candidates – the Wike faction with Senator Sandy Onor and the Kabiru Turaki faction with President Goodluck Jonathan.”
“I don’t even understand why President Jonathan will allow anybody to drag him into this state of confusion. He is an international statesman. He is a man of stature, widely respected locally and internationally. He should stay above partisan politics.”
“Wike says nobody drags anybody into politics. It is only when you show interest that people will come and offer you what they think you want.”
“The way you keep quoting Wike this, Wike that, I hope there is nothing. You better don’t waste your time. Wike no send anybody oh. But I agree with you on President Jonathan. He is legally eligible, constitutionally and by all means as recently decided by the Federal High Court of Justice Peter Lifu. But it is not advisable for him to get involved in the PDP crisis. There are two Federal High Court cases in contention: the Court of Justice Uche Agomoh in the Ibadan Division, and the court of Justice Joyce Abdulmalik at the Abuja Division on the basis of which INEC recognized the Wike faction. Wike served President Jonathan as Minister of State over 10 years ago. No. No. No. He cannot be seen to be dragging anything with his own subordinates. He is too distinguished for that.”
“But in the United States, President Trump left office and he still came back and was re-elected. In Ghana, President Mahama left and returned.”
“The situations are not so similar. President Tinubu vs President Jonathan. It will look too messy. It will be too complicated. There is also the constraint of time. We are just about seven months to the elections. Not enough time to mobilize.”
“I think that there is even more than enough time. With the right momentum, 24 hours is a long time in politics. I imagine that with the seven months gap ahead, many politicians will even run out of cash. Many will sell their grandparents homes to keep up with the unrelenting pressure of campaigns and politicking. I even hear that it is Tinubu sponsoring Jonathan. But if I were President Jonathan, and I want to dare everything, I will choose a man like Nasir El-Rufai as my running mate.”
“Stop making suggestions that will not work and do not make sense. Why would President Jonathan want to dare everything? He is not that kind of person. He will not do anything to disorient the country because of personal ambition. He is a leader, not a food-is-ready politician.”
“Then let him issue a strongly worded statement to dissociate himself from partisan politics. No, thank you are three simple words in English. Let him come and say that he is not running for office in 2027.”
“Okay then, let us just sit down and look. But by the way, did you go to Ijebu Ode for the Ojude Oba after Sallah?”
“No. But I followed everything on social media. Very impressive as usual. The colour. The Equestrian displays, the pageantry and the paraphernalia, even in the absence of the Awujale. I like the fact that the festival is community-based and family-based as well and many families stood up to be counted: the Adesoyes, the Kukus, the Adeshiles, the Ashirus, and there was enough space for the traditional societies, the Regberegbes to promote Ijebu nationalism. The good thing is that other Ijebu communities are beginning to have similar celebrations: in Ososa, Ijebu Igbo, and Ago-Iwoye for example. Nigerians have a way of stealing laughter from the jaws of despair. Think of the Durbar in Ilorin and the Bariki Sallah celebration in Bida All good.”
“I also enjoyed the Ojude Oba, I liked seeing the King of Steeze, Farooq Oreagba and his son in action. But what I could not figure out was one woman who showed up this year, Toyin Olushile, whom they called the Queen of Steeze, all the way from New York City. She had a big tobacco pipe in her mouth and she was puffing smoke into the air like a locomotive train. I did not find that funny. The Ojude Oba should not be used to promote smoking of any type. There are children involved and they are watching.”
“Well, it was all part of the show. But talking about children, this past weekend was a sad one for me.”
“Me too. I watched the video of Mrs Alamu pleading for help, from captivity, and my heart sank. I saw her husband, a Professor, kneeling down and pleading with the Oyo State Government to do something to rescue all the 46 children and teachers in captivity, and I felt for him. In Borno state, Askira Uba Local Government, 45 students were also abducted. Same day, May 15, in the same coordinated fashion. Something sinister is happening.”
“Governor Seyi Makinde has tried. He went to the community to empathise with the people. The Federal Government has also sent a delegation. What I do not understand is why the state and the Federal Government had to respond separately. They could have co-ordinated their efforts. Nobody should play partisan politics with human lives. Governor Makinde went to the community on Saturday. The Federal Government delegation showed up on Sunday in a helicopter. The politics was too obvious.”
“Yes. Both the states and the Federal Government should always work together. Human lives are at stake in Oyo, in Borno and other parts of the country.”
“I really couldn’t enjoy the UCL Champions League final.”
“Forget about Champions League. The Super Eagles were playing in the Unity Cup finals against Jamaica at the Valley Stadium in London, the same day. They defeated Jamaica, 4 -0. You are here talking about Arsenal and PSG.”
“Congratulations to the Super Eagles. Gunners ForEver!”
“How about Enugu Rangers?”.
“Rangerrs. Who are they?”
“They won the Nigerian Football League.”
“Oh. Sorry. Never heard of them.”
“Of course”.