HADI SIRIKA ALLEGED N19.4BN SCAM: procurement pundit unearths how a single contract became doubled, contract sum more than tripled

Senator Hadi Abubakar Sirika, alighted from a vehicle, an SUV that brought him to the court in Abuja

Updated 13th April 2025

Before Justice Suleiman Belgore of the Abuja high court granted request for adjournment to 3rd of June 2025, for cross examination in the suit between the federal government of Nigeria, and Hadi Sirika, his brother, Ahmad Abubakar Sirika, daughter, son in law and two of their companies, the Director of Certification, Compliance and Monitoring with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mr Yesufu Isaiah, explained to the court how a single contract approved for the aviation ministry under Hadi Sirika as Minister, transmuted to two and the contract sum suddenly soared more than tripled the agreed sum.

The prosecutor for the federal government, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had its witness explain at Abuja High Court how the contract for the construction of the Katsina airport terminal building and the expansion of the apron was inflated from N800 million to N2.7 billion only.

The EFCC witness, Mr Yesufu Isaiah, said the total sum of N800 million was budgeted for the construction of a terminal building and apron expansion at the Katsina airport, and the project was scheduled as a single project but eventually awarded for N2.7 billion as two separate projects.

The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, a Senior Advocate in the Nigerain Bar, SAN, who led the evidence, yielded the floor for Yesufu who, intimated the court on oath that he was not aware that the single project the BPP approved had later been awarded as two separate projects by the Ministry of Aviation, under the watch of Hadi Sirika.

He said that he only knew of the flagrant disregard for the procurement act by the Aviation Ministry when he arrived on invitation at the EFCC headquarters office in Abuja.

Yesufu further volunteered details of the projects, which was the construction of a terminal building at the aerodrome in the Minister’s state of origin, Katsina State, Katsina Airport, which was awarded to Enginos Nigeria Limited at about N1.3 billion. He added that the expansion of the apron at the same airport was awarded to Al-Buraq at the cost of N1.4 billion. A firm owned by the son-in-law, who was a staff in another federal government oil regulatory agency. A seemingly contravention of the procurement act.

Recall that the engineering company, Enginos Nigeria Limited, was owned by Abubakar Ahmad Sirika, the junior brother to the sitting minister, a sole signatory to the company’s bank account, who also was a director in a federal government agency.

Also, the firm that was awarded the apron expansion, Al-Buraq, was owned by the son-in-law of Hadi Sirika, also in contravention of the procurement act.

On the procurement administrative exigency as to the construction type and format, Yesufu told the court that the ministry applied for no objection for the construction of the terminal building and apron expansion to BPP as a single indivisible request.

He narrated thus, “The request by the ministry was in writing. It was two requests. The reply was also in writing,” Yesufu said.

The prosecution counsel tendered the two separate requests from the ministry and the BPP’s response as exhibits, which were admitted and marked as exhibits in the case.

Asked to read from the requests for a certificate of no objection from the ministry to BPP, Yesufu narrated thus;

”The ministry requested no objection for the terminal building and apron expansion at Katsina airport, adding that five companies, including Enginos Nigeria Limited, were listed for participation in the selected bidding process.

”He added that N800 million was budgeted for the single project of construction of terminal building and apron expansion at the airport.

The witness told the court that for a contract that was above the approval threshold of the ministerial tender’s board, the ministry ought to require the BPP to review what it (ministry) had done, and a certificate of no objection would be issued by the Bureau.

“For a contract that is up to N2.7 billion, it will require the bureau to review what the ministry had done and issue a certificate of no objection.

“This will enable the ministry to proceed to the Federal Executive Council to approve such a project because it is above the power of the ministerial tenders’ board of the ministry”.

”The approval limit of the tenders’ board is anything less than N1.5 billion”, he said.

He then told the court that the aviation ministry did not request a certificate of no objection in respect of the construction of a terminal building and apron expansion, and the Bureau did not issue a certificate of no objection (for the project).”

He further told the court that the political head of the ministry was the minister.
He added that in line with the Public Procurement Act, 2007, as amended by the Finance Act, 2020, the approval of the tenders’ board was subject “to the confirmation of the political head provided he is not a member of the tenders’ board”.

He explained that a public servant is not qualified to bid for any contract.

After his evidence, Justice Belgore, at the defendant’s request, adjourned until 3rd June 2025 for cross-examination of the third Prosecution Witness, PW3.

However, everyone accused and under trial is deemed innocent until the final determination of that matter in a court of competent jurisdiction.

EFCC ESTABLISHED BY ACT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) Establishment Act was first enacted in 2002 by the National Assembly and amended in 2004. It was signed into law by President Olusegun Obasanjo
The Act commissions the EFCC to combat economic and financial crimes, thereby enabling the Commission to prevent, investigate, prosecute and penalize economic and financial crimes.

To sanitize the system, the agency is also charged with the responsibility of executing the provisions of other laws and regulations that are related to economic and financial crimes. These laws as embedded in Section 7(2) of the Establishment Act 2004 are:

• The Money Laundering Act of 1995
• The Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2004
• The Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 1995
• The Failed Banks (Recovery of Debts) and Financial Malpractices in Banks Act 1994
• The Banks and other Financial Institutions Act 1991
• Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1985
• The Criminal Code and the Penal Code
• Terrorism Act, 2011