UNIZIK Management Dismisses Double Contract Scam Report as Fake

By Our Reporter

The management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, UNIZIK Awka has debunked media report indicting its Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ikechebelu of awarding a contract twice.

Sahara Reporters, an online newspaper in a publication on March 2, 2025 claimed that the university awarded a perimeter fencing project contract to two firms – first to Abdullah Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd in 2024 for N180,031,437.50 and again to Duonni Nigeria Limited in February, 2025 for N370,738,365.05 without revoking the earlier contract.

But the university authority has swiftly dismissed the report as fake.
UNIZIK in a statement signed by Njelita Louis, Acting Head, Information and Public Relations, Insists that the school did not enter into contractual agreement with the firm, quoted by Sahara Reporters.

In the statement tilted DEBUNKING THE LIES AND EXPOSING THE TREACHEROUS SCHEMING OF CONTRACT TOUTS AND THE SHENANIGANS OF DETRACTORS and signed by the Acting Head, Information, Public Relations and Protocol, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Mr Njelita Louis O., the university accused Sahara Reporters and Abdullah Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd of a calculated attempt to tarnish the image of the university.

The university described as false and malicious the Sahara Reporters publication titled “NIGERAIN UNIVERSTY UNIZIK CAUGHT IN CONTRACT SCANDAL AS ACTING VC AWARDS SAME PROJECT TWICE, SECOND OVER DOUBLE INITIAL.”, as the claims are an illegitimate and baseless claim of an award of contract for the perimeter fence of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

The statement read in parts: “To set the records straight, there was no contract between the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd for the Remodelling and Construction of the Southern Boundary (Frontage Perimeter Fence, Lot 1).

“In support their claim as published by Sahara Reporters, Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd relied on the letter issued to them by the Procurement Unit of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University dated 25th October 2024, with which they (Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd.) were conveyed the approval of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Tenders Board, that the contract for the “Remodelling and Construction of the Southern Boundary (Frontage Perimeter Fence, Lot 1” be awarded to them.

“A glance at the said letter will reveal that the third paragraph of that letter reads: “You are required to enter into an agreement with the University on the contract,” while paragraph four (4) reads: “You are also required to confirm your acceptance of this offer of award of contract within seven (7) days of the date of this letter.” It will be preposterous and callous to read the said letter to imply an Award of Contract and as creating a contract between the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. The letter is what it is – an offer!

“For reason best known to Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. they failed, neglected and disregarded to accept the offer within the stipulated seven (7) days the offer was open. And for the failure and refusal on the part of Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. to accept the offer, the offer lapsed. Consequently, no agreement was entered into between the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. for the award of the contract.”

READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW:

PRESS RELEASE

NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY REFUTES FALSE CONTRACT SCANDAL ALLEGATIONS:

DEBUNKING THE LIES AND EXPOSING THE TREACHEROUS SCHEMING OF CONTRACT TOUTS AND THE SHENANIGANS OF DETRACTORS

The attention of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University has been drawn to a false and malicious online report published on the Sunday, 2nd March 2025, by an online newspaper – Sahara Reporters, with the flashy caption: NIGERAIN UNIVERSTY UNIZIK CAUGHT IN CONTRACT SCANDAL AS ACTING VC AWARDS SAME PROJECT TWICE, SECOND OVER DOUBLE INITIAL.
In the said false reportage, Sahara Reporters claimed that “investigations by SaharaReporters have revealed that a contract for the university’s perimeter fencing was awarded twice – the first to Messr Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Limited in 2024 for N180,031,437.50, and the later to Dukonni Nigeria Limited in February 2025 for N370,738,367.05 without officially revoking the initial contract.”

However, that reportage followed the unnecessary publicity stunt in the conduct of a contractor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University – Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. and their contract-touting cohorts, in publishing through Sahara Reporters, a letter which the solicitors to Abdullahi HAwawo Construction Co. Ltd. wrote the Acting Vice Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University dated 19th February 2025 but received by the University on 20th February 2025 with the title “RE: UNILATERAL AND ARBITRAL BREACH AND TERMINATION OF DULY AWARDED CONTRACT. DEMAND FOR RECTIFICATION.” By their conduct, Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. and their contract-touting cohorts aim at using the social media and online newspapers like Sahara Reporters to harass or perhaps intimidate the Nnamdi Azikiwe University into conceding to their illegitimate and baseless claim of an award of contract for the perimeter fence of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

The letter by the solicitors to Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. and the documents attached to the said letter should give any discerning mind an insight into how false and baseless the claim by Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. is.

In the letter by solicitor to Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd., which Sahara Reporters relied on, Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. falsely and baselessly claimed that they were awarded a contract by the Nnamdi Azikiwe University for the Remodelling and Construction of the Southern Boundary (Frontage Perimeter Fence, Lot 1).

To set the records straight, there was no contract between the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd for the Remodelling and Construction of the Southern Boundary (Frontage Perimeter Fence, Lot 1).
In support their claim as published by Sahara Reporters, Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd relied on the letter issued to them by the Procurement Unit of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University dated 25th October 2024, with which they (Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd.) were conveyed the approval of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Tenders Board, that the contract for the “Remodelling and Construction of the Southern Boundary (Frontage Perimeter Fence, Lot 1” be awarded to them. A glance at the said letter will reveal that the third paragraph of that letter reads: “You are required to enter into an agreement with the University on the contract,” while paragraph four (4) reads: “You are also required to confirm your acceptance of this offer of award of contract within seven (7) days of the date of this letter.” It will be preposterous and callous to read the said letter to imply an Award of Contract and as creating a contract between the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. The letter is what it is – an offer!
For reason best known to Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. they failed, neglected and disregarded to accept the offer within the stipulated seven (7) days the offer was open. And for the failure and refusal on the part of Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. to accept the offer, the offer lapsed. Consequently, no agreement was entered into between the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. for the award of the contract.

In the report by Sahara Reporters, references were made to a certain letter by Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. purportedly written to the Acting Vice Chancellor Nnamdi Azikiwe University on 25th October 2024 and titled “Acceptance of Award,” with which letter Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. claimed they accepted the offer of award of the contract. A glance at the said letter of “Acceptance of Award” will reveal that same was never received by the Nnamdi Azikiwe University as there is no such acknowledgment of receipt stamp on the letter. Besides, the record of the Procurement Unit of the University (particularly the register of mails) shows that Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. collected/received the letter of offer of Award of Contract on the 30th day of October 2024, five (5) clear days after the purported acceptance. In effect, Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. accepted the offer five (5) before even they received the offer. What a wonder!

Further still, and as published by Sahara Reporters, Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. claimed that they mobilised to site and that, through a letter dated 28th October 2024 they formally requested for the release of 30% of the total contract sum, amounting to N54,009,431.25, as mobilization funds to facilitate efficient commencement of work, but they got no response. For the avoidance of any doubt, Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. never mobilized to any site, nor did they carry out any such site clearing and proceeded with procurement of materials, labour deployment and other preparatory measures to ensure the successful execution of the project. The necessary formalities for handing over the site to Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. was not fulfilled, because the offer of award was never accepted and no agreement was entered into for the contract as indicated in the offer letter. Besides, the site in question is an open space and no such falsely claimed activities ever happened there as alleged by Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd.

What is more is that, just like in the case of the letter of acceptance which predates the date of receipt of the letter of offer, the purported letter of Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. requesting for mobilisation is dated 28th October 2024, which is two (2) days before they received the offer of award of contract. All these transpired while the university was enmeshed in leadership crisis. Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. will need to explain how they accepted an offer and requested for mobilization before the offer of award was received.
Without prejudice to the above, it is important to also state that the letter of “Commencement of Work and Request for 30% Mobilization Payment” was utterly needless, as there was no contract between your client and the Nnamdi Azikiwe University to have warranted your client to write such letter of “Commencement of Work and Request for 30% Mobilization Payment.” Thus, the question and claim of ignoring Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. request did not even arise.

Be that as it may and bearing in mind that there was no contract between the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd for the Remodelling and Construction of the Southern Boundary (Frontage Perimeter Fence, Lot 1), it is pertinent for the sake of public concerns and scrutiny to also put on record that upon the failure of Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. to accept the offer of award and their failure to enter into any agreement with the Nnamdi Azikiwe and coupled with the fact that the initially planned remodelling of the fence was frustrated by the near total demolition of the fence by scavengers; the planned remodelling consequently became unfeasible and the Nnamdi Azikiwe University had to consider a whole new contract of a completely new perimeter fence.

To this effect, bidding for a different contract of a completely new perimeter fence was thereafter advertised and due process was followed in awarding the contract for a completely new perimeter fence (not the remodelling of an old fence) to Dukonni Nig. Ltd.

It is therefore false when Sahara Reporters claimed that “investigations by SaharaReporters have revealed that a contract for the university’s perimeter fencing was awarded twice – the first to Messr Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Limited in 2024 for N180,031,437.50, and the later to Dukonni Nigeria Limited in February 2025 for N370,738,367.05 without officially revoking the initial contract.” There was no such investigation and revelation. Sahara Reporters merely relied on the false claim by Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. to push a narrative which they were commissioned to execute.
On a final note, it is imperative to state that Sahara Reporters’ claim that the Acting Vice Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof Joseph Ikechebelu, attempted to supress the report is misconceived, albeit false. Such report is not just untrue, but unfounded. The Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ikechebelu received a call from a certain journalist on the subject matter and merely asked the journalist to await the formal and official response of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, to have a balanced view before going to the press. However, rather than wait for the response of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University on the issue, Sahara Reporters rushed to publish the report as they were commissioned to do by Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd., without officially hearing from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

The Nnamdi Azikiwe University is a reputable institution with a track record of compliance with the law in awards of contracts and procurements. The Nnamdi Azikiwe University keeps to its contractual obligations and Nnamdi Azikiwe University is not caught in any such contract scandal. Any such contract scandal is a figment of the corporate imagination of Abdullahi Hawawo Construction Co. Ltd. and their media agents – Sahara Reporters.

A contractor who feels that a contract it has with the University was breached or that the University failed in any contractual obligation, should have taken an appropriate legal step to enforce the contract or seek specific performance against the University and not to procure unnecessary and unwarranted media campaign of calumny against the Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

Njelita Louis O.

Ag. Head, Information and Public Relations.