The House of Representatives Committee on Disability has begun an investigation into the procurement activities of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) following allegations that the agency paid about N97 million for 101 Point-of-Sale (POS) machines.
The probe was initiated on Thursday after stakeholders appearing before the committee raised concerns about alleged contract inflation, questionable procurement processes and the execution of projects by the commission.
Chair of the committee, Bashiru Dawodu (APC, Lagos), said the panel would examine the allegations in detail and urged those making the claims to provide documentary evidence to support their submissions.
One of the stakeholders, Abdullahi Ibrahim, told lawmakers that several procurement activities and projects carried out by the commission appeared to have been inflated, creating anxiety within the disability community.
He cited the procurement of POS machines as an example, questioning the justification for the reportedly high cost of the devices.
“How can a disability commission pay about N97 million for 101 POS machines with starter packs when the actual cost is far lower?” he asked.
Mr Ibrahim alleged that other training programmes and procurement exercises undertaken by the commission also involved inflated contract values.
According to him, the development has raised serious concerns among stakeholders in the disability community.
“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, stressed that the allegations must be supported with verifiable evidence before any conclusions can be drawn.
They asked stakeholders who appeared before the panel to submit relevant documents to enable lawmakers to conduct a thorough investigation.
Responding to the allegations, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Ayuba Gufwan, told the committee that steps had already been taken to address procurement irregularities discovered shortly after he assumed office.
Mr Gufwan explained that although President Bola Tinubu appointed him on 6 August 2024, he could not immediately assume duties because he was hospitalised following an accident, and only resumed about two weeks later.
He said he was surprised to discover that his predecessor had taken major procurement decisions during the period he was expected to have formally handed over.
“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 process and declared the contracts 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.
Mr Gufwan assured the committee that all documents relating to the procurement processes would be formally submitted for scrutiny.
Beyond the procurement issues, the executive secretary also outlined measures being introduced to strengthen the commission’s operations across the country.
He noted that when he assumed office, the commission had no operational zonal offices despite provisions in its enabling law requiring nationwide coverage.
“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.
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Mr Gufwan disclosed that the commission has since established regional offices in Plateau, Bauchi, Abia and Oyo states, covering the North-central, North-east, South-east and South-west zones respectively, while efforts are ongoing to establish offices in the remaining regions.
He also said limited funding has made it difficult for the commission to provide accommodation and transport support to persons with disabilities who travel to Abuja to seek assistance.
Members of the committee said additional sessions may be scheduled to allow more stakeholders to present evidence as part of the ongoing investigation.