The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has questioned Chris Ngige, the former Minister of Labour and Employment, over allegations involving contracts and job racketeering during his tenure in office.
Ngige was interrogated for five hours on Wednesday by ICPC detectives regarding the awarding of contracts under the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), an agency that was under his ministry’s purview.
The investigation is linked to contracts awarded during his time in office and job-related irregularities within the agency.
According to an earlier report by Daily Trust, it was revealed that the ICPC had summoned several top officials of the NSITF for questioning over a N47 million gratuity payment to the former Managing Director, Mrs. Maureen Allagoa, while she was still in service.
In response to allegations of corruption, the immediate past Minister of Labour, Simon Lalong, who is now a senator, had set up a special investigative committee to probe irregularities in contract awards amounting to N1.8 billion within the agency.
Both the ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have since taken interest in the matter, with Ngige’s recent interrogation being part of a broader investigation.
Inside sources at ICPC confirmed that Ngige had been summoned while abroad for medical checkups, which delayed his appearance before the commission.
“Yes, our detectives had interaction with him. We had invited him earlier, but he was out of the country at the time. He honored our invitation upon returning and provided clarification on the issues raised,” a source within the ICPC disclosed.
An ally of Ngige clarified that the former minister was not arrested but voluntarily attended the meeting to clear up any misunderstandings regarding contract approvals and accusations made by staff.
“He went on his own to clarify certain claims and was not arrested. After providing the necessary explanations, he left the ICPC headquarters,” the source said.
When asked for a statement, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare said he was unaware of the situation at the time but promised to provide an update later.
