By Exposed: How Godwin Emefiele Awarded Billion Naira Contract to His Wife, In-laws
Ghazali Ibrahim
A shocking revelation emerged on Monday as Agboro Omowera, a witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), testified before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, alleging that the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, was among the ten officials who signed off on multi-million naira contracts awarded to April 1616 and Architekon Nigeria Limited.
According to Omowera’s testimony, Emefiele was accused of sanctioning the payment of N97.9 million to Architekon Nigeria Ltd., a company in which both he and his wife, Margaret, serve as directors. The contracts, purportedly for the provision of office furniture to the CBN, have raised suspicions of corruption and nepotism.
The witness, while being cross-examined by defendant’s counsel, Mathew Burkaa, highlighted that ten individuals, including Emefiele, were involved in approving the contracts, ultimately placing responsibility on Emefiele as the head of the CBN.
However, he clarified that the investigation focused on Emefiele’s relatives and associates, rather than directly implicating him in conferring a corrupt advantage on himself.
It was further revealed that Emefiele’s wife, Margaret Omoyile, is listed as a director of Architekon Nigeria Limited.
Also, Sa`adatu Yaro,a staff of CBN in Lagos, listed as a director of April 1616 Investment Ltd., reportedly enjoyed significant patronage from the CBN, despite lacking a track record and accreditation from Toyota, the supplier of the vehicles contracted.
The trial, which has garnered significant attention, is set to continue on April 25, as the EFCC seeks to shed light on alleged fraudulent activities involving Emefiele and his associates.
It was gathered from earlier report, that the EFCC had declared Emefiele’s wife and three others wanted for their alleged involvement in embezzling funds belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
