The Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi has been accused of violating public procurement laws by allegedly directing N60.1 billion in federal road contracts to a company owned by alleged close political loyalist.
Three days after the authoritative Nigerian daily, BusinessDay, published details of its investigative report on the issue, Umahi is not known to have issued any response.
Below are details of the key allegations surrounding the multi-billion naira payouts:
*The Loyalist Connection: The company, Reinforced Global Resources Limited, is managed and co-owned by Joshua Okoro, a former student leader who actively campaigned for Umahi’s 2023 Senate bid.
*Suspicious Timeline: The firm was incorporated in 2011 but had no history of federal contract payments until April 2024—roughly eight months after Umahi assumed office as the Minister of Works. Since then, the Ministry of Works has been its sole federal client, issuing 27 separate payments totaling N60.08 billion between 2024 and 2026.
*Procurement Law Violations: Procurement experts note that the frequency and structure of advance payments made to the firm appear to directly breach Nigeria’s Public Procurement Act 2007 and the Fiscal Responsibility Act. The law restricts regular advance payments to 15 percent, whereas the firm reportedly received multiple consecutive advance disbursements.
*On-going EFCC Scrutiny: The massive contract awards were granted despite the company being involved in an active case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
*Major Projects Funded: The bulk of the funds went toward major southeastern road developments, including N30.06 billion for the Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja Road and N15.72 billion for the Ugep-Abaomoge-Okposi Road.
Following the revelation, the anti-corruption group, the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre), called for an immediate, independent investigation into the Federal Ministry of Works and its relationship with the contractor.
However, neither Umahi nor Reinforced Global Resources Limited or the Federal Government and its anti-corruption has considered it necessary to comment on the scandal. (Business Day with additional reports by newsexpress.com)
