The investigation into alleged job racketeering within the Ministry of Works continues after Minister David Umahi and his officials failed to appear before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions on May 6, 2025. Their absence led to the adjournment of the hearing until May 29, 2025.
The absence of Minister Umahi and his team, without providing any explanation, angered committee members. One committee member referred to their failure to appear as “administrative rascality,” prompting the abrupt end of the session.
The investigation stems from a whistleblower petition by Martins Oghenerhoro Richard Atijegbe, a staff member in the Ministry of Works’ Human Resource Management Department. Atijegbe alleged that high-ranking officials in the ministry had been selling federal jobs to Nigerians for up to N2.5 million. According to Atijegbe, these officials used their positions to manipulate the system, smuggling unqualified individuals into civil service roles using forged employment letters and enrolling them into the federal payroll system, IPPIS, within weeks.
Atijegbe shared that the Ministry’s directors were the main culprits, collecting substantial amounts of money from job seekers and bypassing proper recruitment processes. “It is our director who collected N2.5 million from people, sold them jobs, and within a month, fake documents were issued to enroll them in IPPIS,” Atijegbe stated.
He also explained the personal consequences of exposing the corruption, stating, “I am being persecuted for bringing this to light. I am on the verge of losing my job.”
Atijegbe’s lawyer, Liberty Semper Fidelis, filed the petition, which accuses the Ministry of Works of fraud, abuse of power, and conspiracy, among other offenses. Despite the serious nature of the allegations, the Ministry of Works has denied any wrongdoing, calling the claims “incredibly fictitious.”
Although the committee had formally summoned Minister Umahi and other officials to answer the charges, only Atijegbe and his legal team showed up at the hearing. The committee had earlier warned that it would proceed with the investigation in the absence of the parties involved if they failed to attend.
In response to the Minister’s absence, Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji, the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media, explained the non-appearance, claiming, “This didn’t happen under my boss’s leadership, so there’s no issue. Let him select a TV station and invite me. How can a rational person connect an event from 2019 to someone who took office in 2023?”
The committee is expected to resume hearings on May 29, 2025, to continue the investigation into the alleged racketeering and abuse of power within the Ministry of Works.
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