Ebonyi Governor Accused Of Awarding ₦2.5bn Contracts To Younger Brother

An investigation has raised concerns over the award of contracts worth about ₦2.5 billion by the Ebonyi State Government to a company reportedly owned by the younger brother of Governor Francis Nwifuru.

According to an investigation by The Whistler, the contracts were awarded to Equitemise Nigeria Limited, a company incorporated in November 2023, approximately eight months before it secured the projects.

The development has raised questions about possible breaches of public procurement regulations and conflict of interest in the award of government contracts.

The first contract, valued at ₦1.7 billion, was awarded on July 25, 2024, for the construction of a two-storey junior staff quarters at the ICT University, Oferepke, Ebonyi State.

The second contract, worth ₦889 million, was for the upgrade of the Comprehensive Health Centre in Nwofe into a general hospital.

Both contracts were awarded to Equitemise Nigeria Limited, bringing their combined value to approximately ₦2.5 billion.

Details published on the Ebonyi State Open Contracting Data Standard Portal showed that the company was incorporated in November 2023.

The investigation revealed that the company was about six months old when the advertisement for the ₦1.7 billion contract was published in May 2024, seven months old when the bidding process began in June and approximately eight months old when the contract was awarded.

The report also identified another company, Emmaxos Egbunmutex Nigeria, which reportedly participated in the bidding process for the ₦1.7 billion contract.

However, the investigation found that both companies had the same telephone number listed on the state’s procurement portal, raising questions about whether they were operating independently.

Governor’s Younger Brother Owns 80% Of The Company

Further checks on the Corporate Affairs Commission’s beneficiary register reportedly showed that Emmanuel Mbam Nwifuru owns 80 per cent of Equitemise Nigeria Limited.

The other shareholders are Chimaobi Idenyi, who owns 10 per cent, and Ignatius Nathaniel Nwifuru, who also holds 10 per cent.

The investigation identified Emmanuel Mbam Nwifuru as the younger brother of Governor Francis Nwifuru.

Evidence cited in the report included a Facebook post made by the governor on October 24, 2025, congratulating Emmanuel on his traditional wedding.

In the post, the governor described Emmanuel as his younger brother and congratulated him and his bride.

The Ebonyi State First Lady, Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, also reportedly identified Emmanuel as the governor’s younger brother in a separate congratulatory message.

Additionally, a Truecaller check reportedly linked the telephone number listed for the contractor on the state’s procurement portal to Emmanuel Mbam Nwifuru.

These findings have raised concerns about whether the relationship between the governor and the company’s majority shareholder influenced the award of the contracts.

Legal Experts Question Procurement Process

A legal practitioner, Awosusi Kehinde, questioned the decision to award major government contracts to a newly incorporated company.

He argued that companies with limited operating histories may struggle to demonstrate the experience and financial capacity required to execute large public projects.

According to him, annual returns, tax documentation and other statutory requirements are important considerations in determining whether a company qualifies for government contracts.

He described the award of such contracts without satisfying the relevant requirements as a possible violation of procurement regulations.

However, the investigation also examined provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, particularly Sections 421, 422 and 374, which outline requirements relating to the filing of annual returns and company documentation.

Section 421 requires companies to file annual returns with the Corporate Affairs Commission within the stipulated period after their annual general meetings, while Section 422 outlines the financial documents that must accompany such returns.

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The Ebonyi State Public Procurement Act also requires bidders to meet relevant tax, pension and social insurance obligations before they can be considered for government contracts.

Section 21(2)(e) provides that bidders with outstanding tax and other statutory obligations may be disqualified unless they have obtained lawful approval for deferred payments.

The state’s procurement regulations also require contractors to demonstrate the necessary technical experience, professional competence, equipment, personnel and financial capacity to execute projects.

Accountability Experts Raise Concerns

Anthony Adejuwon, founder and team lead of Urban Alert, a civic technology organisation focused on social accountability, criticised the reported contract awards.

He argued that a company incorporated only a few months before securing major government contracts would face questions about its ability to satisfy statutory procurement requirements.

Adejuwon warned that awarding public projects to companies without established experience or adequate capacity could affect project delivery, encourage poor execution and weaken public confidence in government institutions.

He also expressed concern that awarding large contracts to companies linked to public officials’ immediate family members could undermine transparency and accountability.

Similarly, governance expert Adejumo Kabir of Good Governance Africa questioned the risks associated with awarding ₦2.5 billion worth of projects to a relatively new company.

He said such arrangements could raise concerns about the company’s technical capacity, financial strength, experience and ability to deliver value for public funds.

Kabir warned that inadequate capacity could result in abandoned projects, inflated costs, poor execution and the exclusion of more qualified businesses.

However, he noted that newly established companies could legally meet their tax and annual return obligations, depending on the applicable statutory deadlines.

He stressed that the major issue was whether Equitemise Nigeria Limited satisfied all the eligibility requirements when the contracts were awarded.

Kabir called on the Ebonyi State Government to demonstrate that the company emerged through a transparent procurement process and met all the necessary conditions.

He maintained that public contracts should be awarded based on competence, merit and accountability rather than personal or political relationships.

Ebonyi Government Declines To Explain Contract Awards

The investigation also revealed that The Whistler contacted Betty Uzoma, Executive Secretary of the Ebonyi State Bureau of Public Procurement, for clarification.

The bureau is responsible for overseeing public procurement processes in the state.

Although Uzoma reportedly acknowledged the contracts and the companies involved, she declined to provide further explanations about why Equitemise Nigeria Limited was selected for the projects.

The report said the circumstances surrounding the contracts have continued to generate questions about transparency, possible conflict of interest and compliance with public procurement laws in Ebonyi State.