By Taibat Ummi Yakubu

A prosecution witness in the corruption trial of former Aviation Minister Hadi Abubakar Sirika has made a significant clarification before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, testifying that two controversial Katsina Airport contracts were separate projects rather than a single undertaking.

Engineer Isaiah Ganiyu Yesufu, Director of Certification, Compliance and Monitoring at the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), made the clarification during cross-examination, contradicting his earlier testimony that the construction of the airport’s terminal building and the expansion of its apron formed one project.

Yesufu, who appeared as the prosecution’s third witness, told Justice Saiman Belgore that the two contracts had different budgetary codes and were separately captured in the government’s appropriation. His testimony came during questioning by Michael Numa, SAN, counsel to Enginos Nigeria Limited and Al-Buraq Limited, two of the defendants in the case.

The development is significant to the ongoing proceedings, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleges that Sirika abused his office by influencing the award of contracts worth approximately ₦19.4 billion, including projects allegedly awarded to companies linked to his younger brother, Ahmad Abubakar Sirika.

Sirika, who served as aviation minister under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, is standing trial alongside Ahmad and the two companies over a 10-count charge bordering on alleged abuse of office, criminal breach of trust and the use of public office for gratification. All the defendants have pleaded not guilty.

During the cross-examination, Yesufu initially insisted that the terminal building and apron expansion contracts at Katsina Airport constituted a joint project.

“The project of terminal building and apron expansion at the Katsina Airport are one project,” he told the court, maintaining that the contracts were connected.

However, his position shifted as defence counsel directed his attention to specific documents tendered in evidence. When asked to examine the relevant pages of Exhibit C1, a request for a no-objection certificate submitted by the Aviation Ministry’s Ministerial Tenders Board to the BPP, the witness acknowledged details that challenged his earlier assertion.

He also confirmed that the request had been made by the ministry’s then Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan, who chaired the Ministerial Tenders Board, rather than by any of the defendants.

Further questioning centred on the budgetary records for the airport projects. Referring to Exhibit C, marked at C7919 and dated May 16, 2022, Yesufu explained that the budgetary code for the Katsina Airport upgrade differed from the one associated with the terminal building contract.

He told the court that Exhibit A1, which covered the award of the contract for the terminal building, did not include apron expansion as specified in another document.

“From the appropriation, the two projects are different,” the witness said, confirming that the terminal building and apron expansion had separate budgetary allocations.

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Yesufu further acknowledged that the contracts were not awarded to a single company. He added that the separation of such projects was not unique to Katsina Airport, noting that a similar arrangement applied to projects at Port Harcourt Airport.

The witness also admitted that, although supervising projects falls within his official responsibilities, he had never visited the Katsina Airport site.

“I never visited the Katsina Airport. We were never mandated to visit it,” he told the court.

On the BPP’s role in the procurement process, Yesufu said the bureau had not withheld approval for the terminal building and apron expansion projects. He also confirmed that the agency had received no complaints concerning breaches in relation to the projects.

Under further cross-examination by counsel to Ahmad Sirika, the witness stated that the BPP issued a no-objection certificate after reviewing the documents submitted for the projects and conducting due diligence.

Despite the defence’s reliance on the procurement records, the EFCC maintains its allegations against the former minister and the other defendants. The commission alleges that Sirika used his position to influence the award of contracts worth about ₦19.4 billion to his younger brother.

Among the transactions cited by the prosecution is a ₦1.345 billion contract for the construction of the Katsina Airport terminal building, which the EFCC alleges was awarded through the former minister’s influence in favour of Enginos Nigeria Limited.

The commission also accused Sirika of influencing the award of a ₦3.811 billion contract for the establishment of a fire truck maintenance and refurbishment centre at the airport, alongside other disputed transactions.

According to the prosecution, the alleged offences occurred in Abuja between August 2022 and May 2023 and violated provisions of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004, and the Penal Code Act applicable in the Federal Capital Territory.

Justice Belgore adjourned the matter until December 8 and 9 for possible re-examination of Yesufu by the prosecution and continuation of the trial.

The case remains ongoing, and the allegations against Sirika, his brother and the two companies have yet to be determined by the court.