NEPC boss Nonye Ayeni indicted over N229.9 Million contracts awarded to unregistered firms

A document has revealed that the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), under the leadership of its Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, allegedly awarded contracts worth ₦229,953,801.82 to companies not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), raising concerns over compliance with Nigeria’s procurement laws.

The findings, contained in an audit report by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation and obtained by SaharaReporters, indicated that several contractors who received jobs from the Council could not be verified on the CAC database as legally registered entities.

According to the auditors, the contracts were awarded in apparent violation of Paragraph 6(b) of the Public Procurement Act 2004, which requires that all bidders possess the necessary legal capacity before being considered. The report noted that the failure to confirm the legal status of the companies suggested that due diligence procedures were not followed.

“This depicts obviously that these contractors were not subjected to due diligence tests in accordance with the law before being awarded various contracts, thereby meaning that these contracts were racketed to them,” the auditors stated.

The report listed multiple companies allegedly involved, including Lemesis Synergy Ltd, Zedhub Projects Limited, Emmuddy Global Limited, La-Gomez Integrated Nigeria Limited, Lutowers Solutions Ltd, Gams Logistics and Services Limited, Desdoval Global Services Limited, Mumachat International Investment, New Millennium Resources Nigeria, Teraworks Com Limited, and Top Certifier International Limited, all of which were reportedly not found on the CAC database at the time of verification.

Sources within the Council alleged that the agency has been gripped by fear and uncertainty amid claims of widespread financial misconduct linked to its leadership.

They further claimed that public funds were being expended on questionable contracts, international engagements, and disputed financial claims.

According to insiders, the issues came to light during a review of the Council’s 2024 financial records by auditors, which reportedly uncovered broader irregularities, including alleged contract splitting and awards exceeding approved financial thresholds.

A staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged a culture of intimidation within the agency, claiming that officials who raise concerns risk punitive redeployment.

The source also suggested that political considerations may be hindering intervention by authorities.

Following its findings, the audit team recommended that the NEPC leadership provide explanations for the procurement decisions and that the total sum of ₦229,953,801.82 be recovered from the contractors, noting that they were unqualified to execute government contracts.

The auditors further advised that any recovered funds be returned to government coffers.

However, when contacted, the NEPC spokesperson, Mr. Aliu Seidu Sadiq, denied the allegations, stating that the Council had not received any audit query from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation or the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

“There is nothing correct in the allegations you have raised. None of the claims is accurate, and we have not received any audit query… concerning any infractions,” he said.

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