Former Bursar of Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, Linked to ₦12.8 Million Contract Awarded to His Own Company While in Office Amid Helicopter Auction Scandal

Onoja Baba

Fresh revelations obtained by SecretsReporters have uncovered how the former Bursar of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Ibrahim Jibril Mason, allegedly used his position in 2024 to award a multi-million-naira training contract to a company in which he holds directorship — a clear case of conflict of interest and breach of Nigeria’s public service regulations.

Documents sourced from the Federal Government’s open financial transaction portal show that on December 31, 2024, NCAT paid ₦12,813,820.97 to Vikam-MDA Associates Limited for the training of management staff on achieving workplace synergy for effective management. The payment, referenced #1001258371-37, was processed and approved during Mason’s tenure as the college’s Bursar.

Further investigations by SecretsReporters revealed through Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) records that Vikam-MDA Associates Limited, incorporated on November 20, 2014, under RC 1226332, lists Ibrahim Jibril Mason and Ali Aliyu Mohammed as its directors and shareholders. The company’s registered office is 20/21 Bawa Hayatu Street, Bakin Ruwa, Rigasa, Kaduna State.

This connection suggests that while serving as Bursar, Mason directly influenced the award of a government contract to a company he co-owned — thereby benefiting financially from public funds in violation of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and the Public Procurement Act (2007).

According to Part I, Paragraph 1 of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), public officers are forbidden from engaging in private business, except farming, or putting themselves in positions where personal interest conflicts with public duties. Similarly, Paragraph 6 prohibits them from participating in any contract or arrangement where they could personally benefit from decisions made by their office.

Legal experts say Mason’s action contravenes these provisions. “A serving bursar awarding a contract to his own company is a textbook example of abuse of office and conflict of interest,” said Barrister A. U. Yusuf, a constitutional lawyer. “He is liable to prosecution before the Code of Conduct Tribunal under Section 172 of the Constitution.”

This revelation adds to the long-running controversies that have plagued NCAT in recent years. In October 2024, the House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets indicted several NCAT officials — including then Bursar Ibrahim Jibril Mason — in the illegal auction of two Bell 206 helicopters valued at over ₦556 million.

The committee, chaired by Hon. Ademorin Kuye, found that the aircraft, which had flown less than 50 hours, were sold to Blue Horn Aviation Services Limited and Premier Jet Services Limited without the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), in breach of government disposal procedures. The auctioneer, Messrs Tresmo Nigeria Limited, was also found to be unlicensed by the Certified Institute of Auctioneers of Nigeria.

Despite these allegations, there has been no record of disciplinary action or formal investigation into Mason’s conduct by the Federal Ministry of Aviation or the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

Observers say the case typifies how entrenched impunity has eroded accountability in Nigeria’s federal training institutions. Anti-corruption agencies, including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), are now being urged to revisit Mason’s tenure and the network of contracts awarded during his period as Bursar.

Mason’s phone number or means of contact could not be obtained at the time of filing this report.