The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has questioned former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, over his alleged involvement in questionable contracts and job racketeering during his tenure. The probe focuses on the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), where Ngige reportedly approved suspicious contracts and gratuity payments.
Ngige, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, was interrogated for nearly five hours on Wednesday. The investigation follows concerns about a N47 million gratuity paid to the former NSITF Managing Director, Mrs. Maureen Allagoa, while she was still in office.
A December 2022 report implicated Ngige in the approval of a last-minute N20 billion contract for the NSITF, allegedly rushed through without due process. The contract with P2E Technologies aimed to digitalize and automate NSITF activities, raising concerns about potential misuse of government funds.
Sources revealed that the contract was “hurriedly prepared” and “smuggled” to Ngige for urgent consideration. “If the NSITF Accounts are not immediately frozen…minimum of N20billion will be lost. Minister Ngige has prepared this last minute contract of N20billion before he later decided to withdraw his presidential ambition.”
Earlier, Ngige had withdrawn from the 2023 presidential race and remained in Buhari’s cabinet as a minister. The ICPC’s investigation is ongoing, and Ngige’s involvement in these allegations remains a subject of inquiry.
