ICRC DG JOE ANEKHU OHIANI IN CERTIFICATE MESS
By Olorunfemi Adejuyigbe
The Senate has stepped down the confirmation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s nominee as the substantive Director-General of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC, Joe Anekhu Ohiani for failing to produce his primary school leaving certificate.
He reportedly dropped out in Primary Five but the Upper Chamber has asked him to go and supply documentary evidence of his primary school education before his appointment can be confirmed as there was no document to show that he went to a primary school.
The Senate gave the directive when Ohiani, from Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, appeared before the Senator Adamu Aliero-led Committee on Works for screening in line with provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
While the lawmakers were satisfied with other credentials of Ohiani who currently serves in acting capacity, the Senate Committee insisted that he should provide his primary school documents.
Ohiani is a pioneer staff of the ICRC since it was established in 2009.
Trouble started after Ohiani in his opening statement told the lawmakers that he did not finish his primary school education and that in Primary Five he wrote and passed examination into the secondary school.
Apart from the hurdle of providing evidence of his primary school, Ohiani was also grilled on how he had allegedly been forced to compromise a few times against his professional judgements on matters bordering on PPP projects.
Ohiani is fingered in the controversy now trailing the concessioning of E-Customs Modernisation Project estimated at $3.1 billion. The project was first approved by the Federal Executive Council in September, 2020 in favour of Messrs E-Customs HCT Limited, led by Bionica Technologies Limited.
In May, this year, the ICRC and the Nigeria Customs Service conspired to side line the winner of the concession and convinced President Muhammadu Buhari to award the project to Trade Modernisation Project Limited, a company registered in April, 2022.
In a letter to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, dated 27 April, 2022, Ohiani allegedly distorted facts on the series of meetings held to ratify the concession agreement and recommended that “the implementation of the project should proceed without delay and that members of the consortium except Bionica Technologies should be directed to form a Special Purpose Vehicle for the implementation of the project and to execute the finalised concession agreement as approved by the AGF.”
The nominee while responding, denied the allegation, explaining to lawmakers the integrity tests businesses must pass through in ICRC before he can attest his signature to them, just as he explained that nothing is cast on stone and that sometimes especially after a client as effected noted corrections, the commission could revert its stance on an earlier decision.
Ohiani is a trained lawyer from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He has also served in various Presidential committees.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Adamu Alierio who noted that ICRC will have to come forward with brilliant strategies for concessioning that can help turn around the economy, said that anything short will plunge the country into more debts.
He said that the Senate has removed all encumbrance for the commission to hit the ground running when it passed the ICRC establishment bill last week.
Ohiani shared a few insights into what he hopes to achieve if given the job, adding that he has identified 53 projects worth $80 billion. The projects include six standard hospitals in each of the geo-political zone which he hopes will drastically reduce medical tourism.
He shared similar roadmaps on roads, ICT and the needs for Smart Classrooms for students, e-library and in the aviation section he hopes to bring to fruition if appointed.
In the meantime, he has to first present evidence that he attended primary school before he can be cleared.
