Cronyism at Peak: Investigation Reveals NITT Former Chairman Njeze Ejike Eric Funneled N1.97 Billion in Public Contracts to His Own Company

Onoja Baba

In a blatant display of conflict of interest and procurement malfeasance, Hon. Njeze Ejike Eric, appointed Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) in April 2022 by then-President Muhammadu Buhari, has been linked to over N1.97 billion in government contracts awarded to his own private firm, Pyrich Group of Companies Limited. An exhaustive review of federal payment records, corporate registries, and legal frameworks reveals a pattern of self-dealing that contravenes Nigeria’s core public procurement laws and the constitutional Code of Conduct for public officers.

This investigation uncovers how Eric, while steering one of the nation’s key transport training institutions, allegedly directed lucrative deals, including media campaigns, infrastructure projects, and IT upgrades, straight to his personal business empire, bypassing competitive bidding and ethical safeguards.
The scandal, pieced together from Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) disclosures, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) filings, and Treasury Single Account (TSA) payment vouchers, paints a picture of systemic racketeering. Pyrich Group, incorporated on October 21, 2011, as a private limited company with RC number 988791, lists Eric as a director and significant controller. Its primary activity is “General Contracts,” a broad mandate that has conveniently aligned with a slew of federal gigs.

Corporate records show Eric residing in Nigeria and representing subsidiaries like Pyrich Nigeria Limited and Pyrich Consulting Limited, both appointed as persons with significant control on January 20, 2023, smack in the middle of his NITT tenure.

Eric’s appointment came amid a broader reconstitution of transport parastatal boards announced in April 2022 by the Federal Ministry of Transportation. Signed off by Director of Press Eric Ojiekwe, the move aimed to inject fresh oversight into agencies like NITT, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). Instead, it allegedly opened the floodgates for insider enrichment. Payments to Pyrich surged post-appointment, with NITT alone disbursing over N1.1 billion in contracts since March 2022, from media publicity to multi-story office constructions, all funneled through Eric’s governing board.

The payments, spanning 2019 to late 2024, encompass consultancy, construction, IT installations, and equipment supplies across multiple Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). While some predate Eric’s chairmanship, the post-2022 spike – particularly from NITT – raises red flags of abuse of office. Here’s a chronological breakdown of the 53 verified transactions to Pyrich (excluding a N41.2 million tax remittance to the Federal Inland Revenue Service on June 20, 2023):
March 18, 2022 (NITT): ₦10,053,225 for media campaign and publicity (development of national data bank infrastructure). Payment #1000918559-3.
April 4, 2022 (Federal Ministry of Transport): ₦6,203,825.11 for supply and installation of biometric attendance system. Payment #1000929604-1.
January 21, 2021 (Nigerian Meteorological Agency – NiMet): ₦8,837,209.30 for design and installation of IT solutions for office automation. Payment #1000756369-7.
March 11, 2021 (Federal Road Maintenance Agency – FERMA): ₦56,084,760.79 advance for maintenance of Owerri-Okigwe Road, Imo State. Payment #1000769786-1.
March 17, 2021 (Energy Commission of Nigeria – ECN): ₦18,491,230.09 for supply, installation, and training on e-registry, e-budget, e-procurement, and e-accounting. Payment #1000772861-1.
March 22, 2021 (NiMet): ₦10,069,115.40 for establishment of meteorological data rescue and archiving center, Abuja. Payment #1000773767-1.
March 22, 2021 (NiMet): ₦19,265,167.07 for the same data center project. Payment #1000773767-4.
March 30, 2021 (NiMet): ₦10,476,529.30 (25% payment) for the data center. Payment #1000779175-4.
March 31, 2021 (NIWA): ₦43,523,792.17 for procurement of three 250 HP outboard engines (Lot 2). Payment #1000780784-20.
March 27, 2020 (Federal Ministry of Niger Delta): ₦14,235,641.13 for EIA consultancy on Orhorhor-Odorubuo Kpakama-Bomadi Road. Payment #1000671691-2.
March 27, 2020 (NIWA): ₦8,815,116.28 for internet bandwidth upgrade at headquarters. Payment #1000672200-15.
March 27, 2020 (Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority – NEPZA): ₦19,031,252.42 (third payment) for servers, Sophos firewall, and antivirus installation across Abuja, Kano, and Calabar. Payment #1000672219-1.
May 29, 2021 (Federal Fire Service – FFS): ₦15,645,911.16 partial payment for digitalization of files and records. Payment #1000800044-1.
May 31, 2019 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs – MFA): ₦9,850,847.80 (PV No. CAP 428). Payment #1000584986-26.
June 3, 2019 (Federal Ministry of Niger Delta): ₦14,689,768.88 capital payment. Payment #1000587472-6.
June 28, 2019 (MFA): ₦54,148,303.34 balance for rehabilitation of VIP car park. Payment #1000595422-11.
November 29, 2021 (Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office – NMCO): ₦36,850,953.86 for upgrade of SIGTIM software to web-based minerals titles administration. Payment #1000875375-10.
August 7, 2019 (Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority – NNRA): ₦9,594,450. Payment #1000603551-5.
December 17, 2021 (NITT): ₦5,629,806 advance (15%) for media campaign consultancy and national transport data bank. Payment #1000886631-5.
October 16, 2019 (FERMA): ₦13,750,579.48 advance for rehabilitation of Irrua Township Road, Edo State. Payment #1000618573-1.
December 12, 2019 (FERMA): ₦16,879,278.71 for Irrua Road rehabilitation (Cert 2). Payment #1000636909-5.
December 12, 2019 (FERMA): ₦25,801,604.87 for Phase II project data management system procurement. Payment #1000636909-1.
December 19, 2019 (NNRA): ₦17,818,264.29 (no description). Payment #1000639791-1.
December 30, 2019 (NEPZA): ₦9,500,747.28 first payment and advance for servers and firewalls (Lot H6). Payment #1000650021-1.
December 31, 2019 (Nigeria Office for Trade Negotiations – NOTN): ₦8,057,142.86 capital payment. Payment #1000655571-25.
December 31, 2019 (National Office of Technology Acquisition and Promotion – NOTAP): ₦6,358,500 for establishment of NOTAP data bank and ICT infrastructure. Payment #1000658577-35.
December 31, 2019 (NEPZA): ₦18,560,150 second payment for servers and firewalls. Payment #1000658583-1.
November 10, 2022 (NITT): ₦16,253,707.61 for media campaign services. Payment #1001000834-3.
November 2, 2020 (Federal Ministry of Niger Delta): ₦12,813,020.66 partial payment for construction and renovation of Orie Nguru Market, Imo State. Payment #1000728927-1.
December 22, 2022 (NITT): ₦35,058,353.34 (30% advance) for construction of two-story office block for training department. Payment #1001019080-9.
December 23, 2022 (NITT): ₦12,399,148.40 (30% advance) for purchase and installation of e-library equipment. Payment #1001020239-10.
March 6, 2023 (Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation – OAGF): ₦13,500,000 settlement of liabilities to local contractors. Payment #1001035727-13.
March 6, 2023 (OAGF): ₦10,553,051.25 same. Payment #1001035727-19.
March 6, 2023 (OAGF): ₦16,357,500 same. Payment #1001035727-22.
March 6, 2023 (OAGF): ₦6,394,365 same. Payment #1001035727-25.
March 6, 2023 (OAGF): ₦9,815,293.13 same. Payment #1001035727-121.
March 22, 2023 (Federal Character Commission – FCC): ₦15,730,232.55 for consultancy on strategic partnerships and advocacy in South East. Payment #1001046202-12.
May 24, 2023 (NITT): ₦25,016,880.23 for supply of library books. Payment #1001066427-4.
June 20, 2023 (NEPZA): ₦358,734,716.31 first payment for completion of administrative complex at Textile and Garment Park, Lekki, Lagos. Payment #1001072462-1.
August 18, 2023 (FERMA): ₦67,325,581.39 for maintenance and rehabilitation of Mokwa-Kainji Road, Niger State. Payment #1001087634-1.
August 24, 2023 (OAGF): ₦5,850,000 settlement of liabilities. Payment #1001088244-163.
August 24, 2023 (OAGF): ₦6,300,000 same. Payment #1001088244-403.
December 19, 2023 (FERMA): ₦10,080,825.22 balance for Mokwa-Kainji Road. Payment #1001133233-1.
December 11, 2023 (NITT): ₦18,762,644.42 balance for library books supply. Payment #1001096300-3.
December 22, 2023 (NMCO): ₦11,170,412.81 for SIGTIM software upgrade. Payment #1001129669-15.
August 9, 2024 (NITT): ₦53,023,255.82 balance for office construction advance. Payment #1001195592-49.
August 9, 2024 (NITT): ₦125,779,606.27 (30% advance) for remodelling NITT server room and migration to paperless system. Payment #1001195592-25.
August 30, 2024 (NITT): ₦206,018,320.62 for server room remodelling and paperless implementation. Payment #1001206825-186.
August 30, 2024 (NITT): ₦162,110,072.16 for construction of one-story office block for training department. Payment #1001206825-201.
November 10, 2024 (NITT): ₦82,407,328.25 final valuation for server room remodelling. Payment #1001235888-7.
November 15, 2024 (OAGF): ₦7,132,837.50 settlement of liabilities (Batch 8). Payment #1001236482-1.
November 19, 2024 (OAGF): ₦6,304,500 same. Payment #1001236638-127.
December 31, 2024 (NEPZA): ₦188,088,151.56 second payment for admin complex at TGIP, Lekki. Payment #1001257173-2.

These deals, totaling ₦1,971,202,977.09, span MDAs like FERMA (over ₦190 million), NEPZA (nearly ₦594 million), and OAGF (over ₦88 million in “liability settlements” – a common conduit for clearing dubious debts). NITT’s share alone exceeds ₦1.1 billion, including a whopping ₦358 million NEPZA project that dwarfed others.

This web of transactions screams conflict of interest, flouting Nigeria’s Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007 and the 1999 Constitution’s Code of Conduct. The PPA mandates transparency and competition to curb corruption. Section 16(1)(c) stipulates: “All public procurement shall be carried out by open competitive bidding,” except in narrowly defined emergencies – none evident here. Yet, records show no trace of open tenders for these awards; instead, direct nominations to Pyrich suggest rigged processes.

Worse, Section 57(12)(b) of the PPA defines conflict as occurring “where a public official possesses a direct or indirect interest in or stands to benefit from a procurement entity.” Eric, as NITT Chairman, held fiduciary oversight over budgets and approvals. The Act further requires immediate disclosure of any “relationship that might involve a conflict of interest.” No such filings appear in BPP archives, implying deliberate concealment.

The constitutional hammer falls harder via the Fifth Schedule, Part I of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). Paragraph 1 unequivocally states: “A public officer shall not put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with his duties and responsibilities.” Paragraph 2 extends this: “Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing paragraph… a public officer shall not… be a director or hold any pecuniary interest in any private company conducting business with his agency.” Eric’s directorship in Pyrich, a firm raking in NITT contracts – is a textbook breach. The Code, enforced by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), prohibits public officers from maintaining active private businesses that intersect with official duties, mandating divestment upon assumption of office.

BPP Regulations for Goods and Works reinforce this, defining “National Competitive Bidding” as soliciting from registered suppliers – not handpicking one’s own. Violations carry penalties: fines up to three times the contract sum, imprisonment, and debarment from future bids. For Eric, this could mean personal liability exceeding N5.9 billion.

Sources close to the Ministry of Transportation, speaking anonymously, describe NITT as a “cash cow” under Eric’s watch, with board meetings allegedly rubber-stamping Pyrich proposals.

The Institute, tasked with training transport professionals, now stands accused of prioritizing the chairman’s wallet over national infrastructure.

This isn’t isolated. Similar scandals have toppled officials at NIWA and FERMA, where insider firms siphoned funds. Transparency International ranks Nigeria 145/180 on its Corruption Perceptions Index, citing procurement as a flashpoint. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) have yet to comment and all attempts to reach Eric for his own side of the story failed.