By Joshua Weng Chuwang
The House of Representatives Committee on Disability Matters has launched an investigation into the procurement activities of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) following allegations that the agency spent approximately N97 million on 101 Point-of-Sale (POS) machines.
The committee opened the probe on Thursday after stakeholders who appeared before lawmakers raised concerns about possible contract inflation and irregularities in the commission’s procurement processes.
Chairman of the committee, Bashiru Dawodu (APC, Lagos), said the panel would carefully examine the allegations and urged those making the claims to submit documentary evidence to support them.
One of the stakeholders, Abdullahi Ibrahim, told the committee that several projects and procurement exercises carried out by the commission appeared to have been inflated, a situation he said has generated concern among members of the disability community.
He cited the purchase of POS machines as an example, questioning why the commission reportedly spent about N97 million on 101 devices with starter packs when, according to him, the actual market cost of the machines is significantly lower.
“How can a disability commission pay about N97 million for 101 POS machines with starter packs when the actual cost is far lower?” Ibrahim asked the lawmakers.
He further alleged that some training programmes and other procurement activities undertaken by the commission may also have involved inflated contract values.
According to him, the situation has created unease among stakeholders and advocates for persons with disabilities.
“It is worrying that the National Disability Commission is gradually becoming the headquarters of corruption within the disability community because of the developments taking place there,” he said.
Members of the committee, however, emphasised that the allegations would only be acted upon if backed with verifiable evidence. They asked the stakeholders who appeared before the panel to submit relevant documents to enable a thorough investigation.
Responding to the concerns, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Ayuba Gufwan, told lawmakers that steps had already been taken to address procurement irregularities discovered shortly after he assumed office.
Gufwan explained that although President Bola Tinubu appointed him on August 6, 2024, he was unable to immediately assume duties because he was hospitalised after an accident and only resumed work about two weeks later.
He said he was surprised to find that major procurement decisions had been taken during the period when his predecessor was expected to have handed over the leadership of the commission.
“Upon resumption about two weeks afterwards, I was shocked to discover that my predecessor, who should have handed over on the 6th, took decisive decisions on behalf of the commission as a former executive secretary,” he said.
According to him, the commission’s Procurement Tenders Board later reviewed the transactions and ruled that the contracts were illegal.
“We summoned a meeting of the PTB and the decision was reached that all the procurements that the former executive secretary presided over were illegal, null and void. Those contracts were revoked, and a new process was initiated for the 2024 procurement,” he said.
Gufwan assured lawmakers that all documents relating to the procurement processes would be made available to the committee for scrutiny.
Beyond the procurement issues, the executive secretary also spoke about efforts to improve the commission’s operations nationwide.
He noted that when he took office, the commission had no operational zonal offices despite provisions in its enabling law requiring a national presence.
“I did not inherit a single zonal office. As a person with disability, I understand the logistics of transportation and the challenges involved,” he said.
Gufwan added that the commission has now established regional offices in Plateau, Bauchi, Abia and Oyo states to cover the North-central, North-east, South-east and South-west zones respectively, while work is ongoing to extend the offices to other parts of the country.
He also pointed to limited funding as a challenge, noting that the commission currently struggles to provide accommodation and transport support for persons with disabilities who travel to Abuja in search of assistance.
Lawmakers said the committee may hold additional sessions to allow more stakeholders to present evidence as part of the ongoing investigation.
