Emefiele awarded contract worth N1.2 billion without approval – Witness tells Court

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele was said to have awarded 45 contracts worth N1.2 billion without due process and approval, the third prosecution witness, PW3, in the trial, Oluwole Owoeye, told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja on Thursday.

At the resumed hearing of the criminal prosecution of the embattled ex-CBN governor, presided by Justice Hamza Muazu, the witness revealed how the 45 contracts did not pass through the Contract’s Tender Committee of the bank.

The contract was one of the many sins of Godwin Emefiele when he served as the CBN governor for the past seven years.

CAPITAL POST recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in a statement by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale said: “Owoeye, head of the secretariat of the Major Contract Tender Committee (MCTC) said any contract above N10 million has to pass through Major Contract Tender Committee.
“The witness also explained that, 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.”
At the 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 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.
Justice Muazu thereafter adjourned proceedings in the matter to January 18 and 19, 2024.