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The Transparency Advocacy for Development Initiative (TADI) has defended the Nigeria Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) over reports alleging that N10.69 billion was paid to companies linked to businessman High Chief Kenneth Ifekudu, insisting that the transactions underwent government verification procedures before disbursement.
In a press statement by its executive director, Ambassador Yomi David, TADI dismissed an online publication concerning payments made by NSPRI, describing the report as misleading and argued that it failed to adequately explain Nigeria’s public financial management and procurement processes.
The organisation maintained that the payments were made through established government financial systems and subjected to verification by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF).
According to TADI, official payment records covering April 2023 to 2026 show that NSPRI disbursed a total of N55.62 billion in 510 transactions to 221 beneficiaries.
Of this amount, eight companies identified by TADI as linked to Ifekudu reportedly received N10.69 billion through 63 payments, representing approximately 19.2 per cent of the institute’s total payments during the period.
The companies were grouped into three categories: the Diamond, Gold Reef and Gorrion families of businesses.
TADI’s statement listed payments of N4.28 billion to three Diamond companies, N3.68 billion to three Gold Reef companies and N2.73 billion to two Gorrion companies.
The organisation also identified Ken Vic Moore Biz Ventures as a separate beneficiary that received approximately N1.89 billion in nine payments, noting that the amount was not included in the N10.69 billion under discussion.
Central to TADI’s defence is its claim that government payments to contractors are processed through multiple layers of documentation, internal control and financial verification.
The organisation said projects processed through the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) require relevant procurement and contract documents, including Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) approvals, letters of award, contract agreements, interim payment certificates, completion certificates and evidence of project execution.
It further stated that transactions undergo internal audit checks and verification by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation before funds are released.
The organisation argued that the institute’s executive director does not independently authorise the final release of funds, insisting that the transactions are processed through the government’s established payment mechanisms.
However, TADI’s defence represents the organisation’s position on the matter as the statement alone does not independently establish whether every project associated with the payments was completed as specified.
TADI also challenged the suggestion that the payments indicated that NSPRI had abandoned its core research responsibilities in favour of unrelated infrastructure projects.
But the organisation explained that federal research institutes have, in recent years, been assigned constituency intervention projects provided for in the national budget.
According to the statement, such projects may include road construction, erosion control, solar-powered streetlights, boreholes, solar dryers, agricultural inputs, grains, fertiliser, tricycles and minibuses.
TADI therefore listed several projects in Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Sokoto, Imo, Edo and Bauchi states, saying they were constituency interventions nominated by members of the National Assembly and processed through government procurement and financial systems.
The organisation further argued that examining the institute’s expenditure without accounting for its constituency project responsibilities could give an incomplete picture of its activities.
While addressing questions about payments of identical amounts made to different companies, TADI said the pattern was consistent with what it described as lotting and framework contracting as it cited payments made on November 20, 2023, September 23, 2024, and September 11, 2025, involving road construction, solar-powered boreholes, streetlights, solar dryers and the supply of agricultural products.
According to the statement, multiple contractors may receive similar amounts when they execute comparable projects in different communities under approved contract benchmarks.
It also maintained that the brief descriptions available on the GovSpend portal should not be mistaken for complete contract documentation, saying detailed project locations, quantities and supporting records are contained in the relevant government financial and contract files.
The group defended NSPRI executive director, Professor Lateef Oladimeji Sanni, describing him as an accomplished scholar in Food Science and Technology and a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta who had worked to reposition the institute, strengthen storage research and reduce post-harvest losses.
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