TRACKNEWS ONLINE | INVESTIGATIVE DESK
The Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, under the supervision of Minister Joseph Terlumun Utsev, is facing questions over the payment of ₦1.37 billion for the final certificate of the Ingawa Dallaje Dam project in Katsina State to King of Africa General Trading, a business name registered barely a year before the payment was made.
Payment records reviewed for this report show that the ministry disbursed a total of ₦1,371,007,595.91 on February 14, 2025, through three separate transactions recorded as the first, second and third part payments on the project’s final certificate.
The payments comprised ₦71,198,335.78, ₦1,287,475,153.49 and ₦12,334,106.64, respectively.
The records identify King of Africa General Trading as the recipient in a joint venture with Hassuni Engineering Services Ltd. However, the payments were made in the name of King of Africa General Trading alone, raising questions about the contractual and payment arrangements for the federal dam project.
BUSINESS NAME REGISTERED JUST ONE YEAR BEFORE PAYMENT
A review of records on the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) portal indicates that King of Africa General Trading is registered as a business name under registration number RC 7335033, with a registration date of February 6, 2024.
The registration came approximately one year and eight days before the ministry paid the three sums that settled the final certificate for the Ingawa Dallaje Dam project.
Under Nigeria’s Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020, a registered business name is distinct from an incorporated company. A business name does not possess a separate legal personality in the same manner as a limited liability company.
The circumstances surrounding the engagement of the business name, its role in the joint venture, and its receipt of more than ₦1.37 billion in federal contract payments therefore raise questions that warrant clarification from the ministry and the relevant procurement authorities.
In particular, questions arise over the procurement process, the documentation supporting the joint venture, the eligibility requirements applied to the parties, and the basis for paying the final certificate into the business name rather than a separately incorporated entity.
The available records, however, do not by themselves establish that the award or payment was unlawful. A definitive assessment would require examination of the contract documents, tender records, joint venture agreement and applicable eligibility requirements.
HASSUNI ENGINEERING SERVICES LTD: REGISTRATION QUESTIONS
The payment records also identify Hassuni Engineering Services Ltd as the joint venture partner of King of Africa General Trading.
However, a search of the CAC portal reportedly did not produce a registration record under the exact name appearing in the payment documents.
The absence of a result under that name does not conclusively establish that the company is unregistered. Differences in the registered name, spelling or other identifying details could affect search results.
Nevertheless, the matter raises questions about the company’s legal identity, its registration details and the documentation submitted to the ministry before the contract funds were released.
The ministry should clarify the identities of both joint venture partners, the terms of their agreement and the account arrangements used to receive the ₦1.37 billion payment.
₦138.57 MILLION IN INTEREST PAYMENTS ON LOWER ANAMBRA PROJECT
The Ingawa Dallaje Dam payment is not the only transaction raising questions about the ministry’s expenditure under Minister Utsev.
Records reviewed for this investigation show that Hydroworks Limited received a combined ₦138,572,501.78 in interest payments relating to delayed payment on Interim Valuation Certificate No. 8 for the Lower Anambra Irrigation Project in Anambra State.
The payments were made in three instalments between December 2023 and August 2025.
On December 30, 2023, the ministry paid Hydroworks Limited ₦37,076,463.28, described in the records as part payment of interest on delayed payment on Interim Valuation Certificate No. 8.
On September 4, 2024, the company received another ₦71,593,355.48, also described as part payment of interest on delayed payment on the same certificate.
A third payment of ₦29,902,683.02 was made on August 23, 2025. The record described it as the third part payment of accrued interest on delayed payment of the same certificate.
Together, the three transactions amounted to ₦138.57 million in interest arising from delayed payment.
Although interest payments may be legitimate contractual obligations, the transactions raise questions about the circumstances that led to the delays, the calculation of the accrued interest, and the steps taken to prevent additional costs to the public purse.
The ministry should explain why the certificate was not paid on time, how the interest liabilities were calculated and whether any review was conducted to establish the causes of the delays.
HYDROWORKS LIMITED LISTED AS INACTIVE ON CAC PORTAL
The investigation also identified a corporate compliance issue involving Hydroworks Limited.
According to the CAC records reviewed for this report, Hydroworks Limited, registered under RC 35017 on September 8, 1980, is listed as inactive on the commission’s portal.
The portal reportedly instructs the company to update its status with the commission.
The company nevertheless received the three interest payments between 2023 and 2025.
The status raises questions about whether the ministry verified the company’s current corporate records and compliance position before processing the payments.
However, an inactive status on the CAC portal does not, by itself, establish that a payment was unlawful or that a company was automatically disqualified from receiving money under an existing contract. The applicable procurement rules, contractual arrangements and the precise legal implications of the company’s status would need to be examined.
The ministry should clarify whether it conducted the necessary compliance checks and whether the company’s status affected its eligibility to receive the payments.
PAYMENTS MADE DURING UTSEV’S TENURE
Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev assumed office as Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation on August 21, 2023.
The underlying projects predated his appointment, according to the records reviewed for this investigation. However, the transactions under scrutiny occurred during his tenure.
The three interest payments to Hydroworks Limited were made in December 2023, September 2024 and August 2025, while the ₦1.37 billion final-certificate payments for the Ingawa Dallaje Dam were made in February 2025.
The timing places the payments within the minister’s period in office, but it does not, on its own, establish personal wrongdoing or prove that he personally authorised each transaction.
The central questions concern the ministry’s financial controls, procurement compliance, verification of contractors and joint venture partners, and management of liabilities arising from delayed payments.
The Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 establishes principles for prudent and transparent management of public resources. Whether any specific provision was breached in these transactions would depend on the relevant facts and applicable legal requirements.
QUESTIONS FOR THE MINISTRY
The transactions raise several questions that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation should address:
1. What procurement and eligibility checks were conducted before King of Africa General Trading and Hassuni Engineering Services Ltd participated in the Ingawa Dallaje Dam contract?
2. Why was the ₦1.37 billion final-certificate payment made in the name of King of Africa General Trading alone, despite the joint venture arrangement recorded in the payment documents?
3. What are the full registration details and legal identities of the two joint venture partners?
4. What circumstances led to the delayed payment on Interim Valuation Certificate No. 8 for the Lower Anambra Irrigation Project, resulting in ₦138.57 million in interest payments?
5. Did the ministry verify Hydroworks Limited’s corporate status before processing the interest payments, and what was the legal basis for proceeding while the company was listed as inactive on the CAC portal?
6. Were the payments subjected to internal audit, procurement compliance checks or any other review to determine whether the expenditure represented value for public money?
These questions are important because public procurement requires transparent documentation, proper verification and accountability for the use of public funds.
TRACKNEWS ONLINE’S POSITION
TrackNews Online’s investigation is based on payment records and corporate registration information reviewed in connection with the transactions.
The findings raise questions about contractor verification, joint venture documentation, delayed-payment liabilities and the controls applied before public funds were disbursed.
The transactions do not, by themselves, establish fraud, corruption or personal wrongdoing by the minister or any of the named entities. The relevant authorities would need to examine the underlying contracts, procurement records, payment approvals and supporting documents before reaching any conclusion.
TrackNews Online considers it necessary for the ministry to provide clear explanations concerning the transactions, particularly the payment of ₦1.37 billion to a business name registered approximately one year before the final certificate was settled.
The publication will incorporate any substantive response, supporting documentation or clarification provided by the ministry, the named contractors and other relevant parties.
TRACKNEWS ONLINE
Investigative Desk
