ICPC INVITES ONYEKA ONWENU OVER N17M BRIBE MONEY

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has invited the Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Ms Onyeka Onwenu, and an internal auditor for interrogation on the alleged N17million bribe-for-contract at the centre.
Prior to the appearance of the songstress today, three key officials of the NCWD were yesterday grilled by the anti-graft agency.
They are Mukhtar Usman, Jauro Jibrin and Sadeeq Umar.
But a Deputy Director in NWCD, who doubles as Personal Assistant to Onwenu, Chika Abazu, has been remanded in prison following the alleged N17million bribery.
A source in ICPC said: “Our investigation into the bribery scam has reached an appreciable level of interaction with Ms Onyeka Onwenu.
“Actually, this invitation predated this new administration. But each time we summoned her during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, she used to tell ICPC that she was either running one errand for the former First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, or on her entourage.
“Now that we have arraigned her PA in court, we need to complete the other leg of our investigation because findings have shown that some officials of NCWD were also implicated in the bribery scandal.
“Fairness demands that we should hear from these officials whether or not they were involved as alleged.”
Abazu, who was charged to court on July 10, 2015 before Justice Chukwu Ndukwe of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, is facing a six-count charge of bribery and gratification.
Although he pleaded not guilty, he was denied bail and remanded in Kuje Prison.
A contractor, Joseph Nwakama, who is also an architect with Solidmark Associates Limited, petitioned ICPC that he paid N17million bribe to NCWD top officials through Abazu.
The petitioner said: “I was called by Abazu, a deputy director at the NCWD and PA to Onwenu, early in April 2014 and asked to submit a bid for the renovation of rooms at the centre’s guest house.
“After two days he called me and told me that the centre would like me to do the job because my bill was the lowest, and that I should come and see the DG.
“When I came, the DG asked me to start work, that I should work day and night (and) that they would give me an award letter, agreement and advance,” the contractor stated.
The contract was awarded on April 28, 2014 at N33 million for 25 rooms.
“He told me that the DG wanted me to give them N23million out of the money for the 55 rooms. I told him that it was too much (but) he told me that if I was not going to give them, the DG would ask me to pay back the money (N22, 619, 047.62) and the other contractor would do the job.”
He said he later gave N17million to Abazu.