Sophia Michaels
Former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele did not follow due process in the award of contracts.
This is according to Oluwole Owoeye, Head of Secretariat, Major Contract Tender Committee, (MCTC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Owoeye made the statement before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), saying all the 45 contracts awarded by Emefiele didn’t go through MCTC.
Recall that the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had arraigned Emefiele on Friday, November 17, 2023 on a six-count charge bordering on procurement fraud.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, called three witnesses, including Owoeye.
The other two witnesses are Samsideen Romanus, an official of the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, and Remigious Ugwu, a compliance officer with a commercial bank.
Both witnesses gave their testimonies before the court. The court admitted Owoeye’s disclosures as exhibits F1 to F45.
According to a statement by the EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, on Wednesday, Owoeye told Justice Hamza Muazu that any contract in excess of N10 million must go through MCTC.
According to the statement, “When contractors submit their bids, it is the responsibility of the Committee to vet the companies by ensuring that the particulars of directors are disclosed to the bank, so as to prevent the award of contracts to companies in which any staff of the CBN is a director.
“All these requirements that MCTC would have ensured that they are met, were circumvented as the contracts did not go through the Committee.”
Justice Muazu adjourned proceedings in the matter to January 18 & 19.
