By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Contractor Mr. Emmanuel Otokpa who was allegedly given a contract worth N57 billion by Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), has made another startling revelation, alleging that he was advised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to settled with NPA late last year.
Mr. Otokpa who said he was given the contract through the office of the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Barriester Abubakar Malami, SAN, also said he was in the Commission’s office Abuja with his lawyer Barrister Bola Aidi (SAN) & CO, and other lawyers.
He said during a press conference in Kaduna that he was invited by EFCC after submitting a written petition to the Commission over delay in releasing the contract award letter to him by NPA, adding that on basis of the invitation for settlement, Yakubu Hamza was ask to come to NPA in Lagos to collect the award letter since 2024, in vain.
According to him, the N57 billion contract was an in-house arrangement and was conducted in the office of AGF, Abubakar Malami who own the contract.
The contractor disclosed that he was recommended to the Minister Malami for the contract by two of his aides: Hon. Yakubu Hamza, the Personal Assistant (PA), and Nafiyu Yakubu Lugga, the Special Adviser (SA) who’s a lawyer by profession.
Mr. Otokpa who made the revelations while briefing journalists at a press conference in Kaduna stated that the contract process which commenced in 2022, through AGF office Abuja, has left him and his family dried and in abject poverty and hunger for selling off all his properties to raise money to process the contract in Lagos.
According to him, the contracts award team, conducted what he described as “In-house biding”, because it belonged to Minister Abubakar Malami, adding that costing was done and all other requirements necessary for the award were met and approved but the money was siphoned and could not get to the contractors till date.
He also disclosed that some of projects to be executed by companies under the contract are of immensed benefits especially the one of Kebbi state’s Arugungu college, Kaduna state university and others, but were not executed till date due to the alleged contract diversion and siphoning of the money.
Earlier, the contractor said the contract sum was reviewed down to N25 billion in 2024, under the current NPA Managing Director (MD) Alh. Dansofo Abubakar after pleading with the contractors via Yakubu Hamza, based on the advise by EFCC, following the petition written against them over delay in releasing the award letter.
“Although it was later review upward and increased to almost N30 billion after costing and payment of bill of quantity, but the contract award letter was not released to him officially hitherto”, according to Mr. Otokpa.
He narrated that “In 2022, the SA and the PA to AGF, to Abubakar Malami “Called and asked me to organize a construction company, so that they can give me a job from Nigeria Port Authority”.
“And I told him how sure are you. They say that it’s 100% sure, and
that the MD of NPA is from their states, in Kebbi and contract belong to Malami.
“And of course, based on what he told me, I swang into action and I selected the best companies for the job, because in the construction industry or in federal government procedure, there are some ethical requirements that must to be met, like tax compliance, before you can be given contracts. So I have to go and select the best company that have the highest requirements that have the bigger share capitals.
“And I brought the companies, they checked, verified and okay them. And they say before we beginning to move to NPA, I am going to do a contract bidding a procedure that must be done. And they told me that this one is in-house bidden because the contract belongs to the minister, Abubakar Malami, the former SGF, and i say that’s okay. That I am going to bring a N5 million as cost of the bidding process and others and i said okay to it but ask them to reduce it because I cannot go and tell the sub- contracting companies to bring money because in Nigeria today If you tell anyone go and bring money before anything come on board, they’ll begin to look at you somehow because a lot of companies have been bidding for a job and have not been getting them. So I say for that reason, bring it down so that I can be able to do so on behalf of the other companies first. By the time they begin to see the reality, they will begin to support.
“And I was asked to bring N1 million. That means you are the one that’s going to sponsor everything, they ask and i said okay, let me give one million. But I am giving you 500,000 first, when we go there, because I will pay the flight ticket, they say that I am the one that is going to take responsibility for everything. They said that I’ll also be give them money during the bidding process, for doing everything, and I say okay, no problem”, he narrated.
He also said that before they arrived Lagos he called one of the companies to pay the flight, and i booked Hotel, if anybody knows Lagos, where we lodged. That was in July 25th, and then the following day, the other contractors flew in from Port Harcourt and some of the states”.
According him, before the flight ticket to Lagos the former Justice minister, Malami gave them recommendations. “You can see his signature here, it was signed, and then we landed in Lagos. “When we landed in Lagos, the following day, some of the other contractors we met and then I introduced them to the NPA”.
“And then when we were at the NPA, they were happy that something is about coming to their table because they have been doing bidding
“We submitted acknowledgement to all the companies, you can see the original, the day we submitted these original acknowledgements
for the recommendation that the company took to Lagos. You can see it’s stamped, we acknowledged it.
“I told the company, I am not ready for this before but as you say i continue, I have no option than to begin to dip into my accounts and begin to go into it.”, he stated.
The contractor’s lawyer Bola Aidi (SAN) & CO, had earlier written a petition against the delay in releasing the contract award letter and two reminder but the letters yet the award letter was not released to his client Mr. Otokpa till date.
According to him, all the relevant government agencies including police, EFCC and anti-graft bodies were petition and copied but the NPA could not come out with any solutions on the contract letter of award.
He said, the manipulation became obvious to him, when one of the sub-contracting companies called and informed him that NPA has started releasing the award letter without him knowing.
“You know some of the sub-contractors have some people as insider that gives them information and I now call the Hon. Hamza Yakubu and told him they have started collecting the award later and I equally called the Nafiyu Yakubu Lugga, the senior SA to ex- AGF and told him too.
“And when he called the NPA they told the Yakubu Hamza and Yakubu now called me that
truly the award is ready
and that is going the following morning and that I should book flights and I booked for flight,
and I told him if he get to Lagos
the moment he collect the award letter he should let me know.
“He should send me a copy
of the award later so that I can be able to tell the companies, because at that time they out going government was close. So when he got to Lagos, when he collected the award later. I never knew that the SA to Malami Nafiyu Lugga told the PA not to tell me yet”, he said.
“I was in Abuja at that time when he came, then he went back to Zaria, from Zaria, they now ask him to bring the award later to Kano, when he got to Kano he now called me that he needed money. I say have you collect the award later, that was then he now told me yes but that Nafiyu Yakubu Lugga say he should bring the award later to Kano”, Otokpa said.
He said Malami’s wife took it personal when he brought into the contract matter, against the SA, and insisted the contract letter must be given to Mr. Otokpa but was later cautioned to stay away by a family members, as Otokpa threatened to take legal action if not given the letter.
He therefore called to the presidency and other relevant authorities to intervene in making sure the award letter is released and given to him to execute the contracts for the benefits of the Nigerians its meant for, saying is not out for antagonisms or fighting anyone. End
