A senior official of the Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority (UBRBDA), Dahiru Hammandikko, Executive Director Agricultural Services, has alleged irregularities in the agency’s procurement tender process, claiming that key directors were excluded from an important meeting.
Speaking in Yola, Hammandikko stated that neither he nor two other key executive directors received any form of invitation or documentation regarding the Procurement Tenders Board (PTB) meeting, despite their statutory roles in the administration of projects under the Authority. According to him, the meeting was held exclusively in the office of the Managing Director, Mahmud Sanusi Mohammed, and attended by only two others: Othman Bakari Babandubu, Executive Director Engineering, and Engr. Ernest I. Udoh, the Acting Head of Procurement Unit. Hammandikko insisted that no official correspondence was issued to him, the Executive Director Finance and Administration, or the Executive Director Planning and Designs. He described the development as inappropriate and contrary to due process governing procurement activities in the federal agency. Hammandikko confirmed that a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) had been submitted to the Authority and ordered to be pasted publicly on the notice board, though he emphasized that the petition was authored by a private individual, Engineer Ahmed Damare, not a staff member of the agency. His comments follow growing concerns over transparency in procurement-related decisions within the Authority. He stressed the need for proper administrative procedure and accountability, warning that any action taken outside established guidelines risks undermining institutional integrity. As of press time, all efforts to contact the Public Relations officer of the Authority, Ahmad Isa Mbamba, proved abortive as he had not responded to phone calls regarding the matter.