Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secrets Reporters
Fresh investigation by this online media has revealed that Uche Nnaji who was rewarded with the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology portfolio by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after losing the 2023 governorship tussle, has been benefiting from the federal treasury through illegal contracts awarded to his company.
SecretsReporters gathered that Uche, who has been in active politics since at least 1999 when he won the senatorial ticket of the then Alliance for Democracy, has through his company, Alkatex Nigeria Limited pocketed N97,642,811.09 from the coffers of the federal government.
Between 2018 and 2019, Uche, a former member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Capital Development Authority, used his Lagos-based company, Alkatex Nigeria Limited to collect at least eleven contracts.
Our findings revealed that the contracts came from the coffers of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Federal Government College, Enugu, Nomadic Education Commission, and Federal Science Technical College Tungbo.
For instance, on 27th December, 2018, Uche, a former Chairman of the Finance and General Purpose Committee of the FCDA, through the company, received a payment of ₦8,114,803.54 with the transaction description “Capital payment” from the treasury of Federal Government College, Enugu.
In a similar move, the Federal Government College, Enugu transferred the sum of ₦12,270,035.02 as “Capital payment” to Alkatex Nigeria Limited on the 15th of November, 2018.
On the 8th of November 2018, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria made a payment of ₦11,144,903.96 to Alkatex Nigeria Limited as “Pmt for classroom standardization at ate school”.
We gathered that in 2019, Alkatex Nigeria Limited had a bountiful harvest of contracts from various government coffers. While lovers were enjoying themselves on Valentine’s Day in 2019, Federal Government College, Enugu surreptitiously transferred ₦5,408,676.20 to Uche’s company as “Capital payment”.
On 31st and 23rd May, 2019, respectively, the Federal Science Technical College Tungbo transferred ₦7,876,812.33 to Alkatex Nigeria Limited for the “Construction of sickbay” and another ₦10,966,464.99 for the “Construction of sickbay”.
Findings revealed that on the 23rd of the same month, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria paid ₦10,127,382.04 to Alkatex Nigeria Limited as “Pmt for classroom standardization at ate school (main amount)”.
On 26th September 2019, ₦8,242,508.08 left the cash box of the Nomadic Education Commission for the Alkatex Nigeria Limited “Being payment for construction of school building in boriya baruren kwara state (024)”.
We also gathered that on the 16th of October 2019, the same Nomadic Education Commission paid the sum of ₦5,495,005.38 to Minister Uche’s company “Being final payment for construction of a block of 2-classrooms, office/stores a block of 3 vip toilet and provision of sch.furnitures in boriyan nps baruten state (027)”.
The data on GovSpend revealed that the Federal Government College, Enugu sent the sum of ₦10,716,000.00 to the account of Alkatex Nigeria Limited as “Capital payment” on the 24th of October 2019.
Lastly, Alkatex Nigeria Limited leaped for joy on 30th December 2019 when the Federal Government Girls’ College, Abuloma breathed ₦7,280,219.55 into its account as “Payment for re-asphalt laying of car park and other access road”.
(Screenshot showing the owners of Alkatex Nigeria Limited)
It was gathered that Alkatex Nigeria Limited was incorporated in Mushin, Nigeria with Registration Number 334945. It was registered on 07 May 1998 and its current status is unknown. The company’s registered office address is No.63, Palaavenue, Mushin, Lagos.
Uche Nnaji is a brother to Hon Nnoli Nnaji representing Nkanu East and West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
