Emefiele, nine others approved contracts for ex-CBN governor’s wife
An investigator from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission disclosed during a court proceedings at the Federal Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, that ten officials from the Central Bank of Nigeria, including former Governor Godwin Emefiele, were involved in approving contracts for April 1616 and Architekon Nigeria Limited, which are linked to the ex-governor’s wife.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accused Emefiele of abusing his power by granting financial advantages to his wife, Margaret, and brother-in-law.
It was claimed that he approved payments totaling N97.9 million to Architekon Nigeria Ltd, where his family members serve as directors, for the supply of office furniture to the CBN.
Furthermore, a separate contract worth N99.8 million for renovating the CBN Governor’s residence in Lagos was awarded to the same company.
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Under cross-examination by the defense counsel, the investigator emphasised that while ten individuals were involved in the approval process, the ultimate responsibility lay with Emefiele due to his position as the CBN governor at the time.
He said, “10 persons acted on the documents awarding these contracts. There are 10 minutes and one approval, so one person takes the responsibility.
“We tried to confirm whether this company was accredited by Toyota and to our surprise, it was not among the accredited bidders.”
The trial judge, Hamza Muazu, subsequently adjourned the matter till April 25 for the continuation of the trial.
It was reported that on February 10, the EFCC declared Emefeile’s wife and three others wanted for allegedly conspiring with the former CBN governor to steal huge sums of money belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
