The Economic and Financial Crime Commission has arraigned the former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige on an 8-count charge of alleged corruption.
Mr Ngige was arraigned before Justice Mariam Hassan of the FCT High Court, Gwarinpa.
In the eight-count charge, marked: FCT/HC/CR/726/2025, the former minister was the sole defendant.
In the charge filed on December 9th, Mr Ngige is alleged to have committed the offences while serving as Minister of Labour under the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
In count one, the defendant was alleged to have between September 2015 and May 2023, while being the supervising Minister of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), used his position to confer an unfair advantage upon Cezimo Nigeria Limited, a company whose MD/CEO and alter ego, Ezebinwa Amarachukwu Charles, is his associate.
Ngige was said to have awarded seven contracts for consultancy, training, and supply by the NSITF to the said company to the tune of N366,470,920.68 (Three Hundred and Sixty Six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty Naira and Sixty Eight Kobo).
He is also accused of using his position to confer an unfair advantage upon Zitacom Nigeria Limited, a company whose MD/CEO and alter ego, Ezebinwa Amarachukwu Charles is his associate.
Ngige was alleged to have awarded eight contracts for supply, training, and consultancy, with NSITF, to the said company to the tune of N583,682,686.00 (Five Hundred and Eighty Three Million, Six Hundred and Eighty Two Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty Six Naira) only.
