EXCLUSIVE: NIMC Under Abisoye Coker-Odusote Faces ₦49.9m Cash Advance Questions, ₦24.9m Lagos Renovation Split Into Two Payments

TrackNews Online | Investigative Desk

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), under the leadership of its Director-General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, is facing questions over ₦49.9 million paid to five individuals through cash advances, reimbursements and allowances, as well as a separate ₦24.9 million payment for the renovation of its Lagos office split into two transactions on the same day.

Payment records obtained by TrackNews Online show that the seven transactions involving five individuals totalled ₦49,914,752 between December 2023 and May 2026. The records also indicate that the commission paid Yus Associates Limited a combined ₦24,899,600 for the Lagos office renovation through two payments made on December 30, 2023.

The transactions raise questions about procurement procedures, documentation, financial accountability and compliance with public expenditure regulations.

₦24.5m Paid To One Individual In Three Transactions

One of the individuals featured prominently in the records is Adegoke Kayode Adedapo, who received a total of ₦24.5 million through three separate payments between December 2023 and December 2024.

On December 12, 2023, Adedapo received ₦7 million as a cash advance for an event-related expenditure covering canopies and furniture, refreshments, plaques, decoration, a sound system and miscellaneous items.

Seven days later, on December 19, 2023, he received another ₦8.5 million as a cash advance for the purchase of 40 Christmas hampers, with the payment amounting to ₦212,500 per hamper.

The payment records reviewed by TrackNews Online do not identify the vendors who supplied the hampers or provide details of their contents.

On December 20, 2024, Adedapo received a further ₦9 million as a cash advance for the procurement of two digital advertising panel signages for NIMC, with each signage costing ₦4.5 million.

The three payments brought the total received by Adedapo to ₦24.5 million.

The absence of named vendors in the records for the hampers and digital signages raises questions about the procurement documentation supporting the expenditure.

However, the records reviewed do not, by themselves, establish that the goods were not supplied or that the transactions were unlawful.

Four Other Individuals Received Millions

The payment records also identify four other individuals who received funds for different activities connected to the commission.

Asekokhai Lucky Michael received ₦7.5 million on April 8, 2026, for the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria’s commemoration of the 2026 World Workers’ Day.

Saleh Muazu was reimbursed ₦6.965 million on October 14, 2025, for booking a NIMC display booth and procuring a customised award and branded gifts.

Orbih Christiana Aleuhivhia received ₦5.455 million on December 30, 2024, as a duty tour allowance for officers of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission visiting NIMC offices in the South-East and South-West.

Uba James Nnaemeka received ₦5,494,752 on May 26, 2026. The payment description identified the purpose as funding for the re-implementation of the Mambilla human resources system.

Together, the seven payments to the five individuals amounted to ₦49,914,752.

According to the figures contained in the records, NIMC spent ₦222,586,289.15 outside salaries, pensions, taxes and deductions during the period under review.

The ₦49.9 million paid through the seven transactions represents approximately 22.4 per cent of that expenditure.

The proportion raises questions about the controls governing payments to individuals and the documentation maintained to account for public funds.

What Financial Regulations Require

Nigeria’s Financial Regulations provide for cash advances to public officers for specific, approved purposes, subject to the applicable authorisation and retirement requirements.

Such advances are expected to be accounted for with supporting documentation, including receipts and other evidence showing how the funds were spent.

Meanwhile, the Public Procurement Act 2007 establishes procedures governing public procurement, including competition, contract awards and applicable approval requirements.

The transactions identified in the payment records involve activities such as purchasing hampers, acquiring digital advertising signages, organising events and securing exhibition facilities.

These activities raise questions about whether the relevant procurement procedures were followed and whether the necessary supporting documents exist.

The records reviewed by TrackNews Online do not identify vendors for some of the purchases and do not contain details of competing bids or contracts for those transactions.

However, the absence of such information from the records reviewed does not conclusively establish that the documents do not exist elsewhere within the commission.

The key questions are whether the advances were properly approved and retired, whether the goods and services were delivered, and whether the procurement process complied with the applicable rules.

₦24.9m Lagos Office Renovation Paid In Two Transactions

A separate set of transactions concerns the renovation of NIMC’s Lagos office.

On December 30, 2023, the commission paid ₦12,560,280 to Yus Associates Limited for the renovation project.

On the same day, another payment of ₦12,339,320 was made to the same company, described in the records as the balance payment for the renovation of the Lagos office.

The two payments totalled ₦24,899,600.

The transactions raise questions about why the renovation expenditure was recorded as two separate payments on the same day and whether both payments were made under a single approved contract.

The timing is also noteworthy: the payments were made on a Saturday, two days before the end of the 2023 calendar year.

Nevertheless, the payment dates and amounts alone do not establish that the procurement was improperly split. Determining whether the arrangement breached procurement rules would require examination of the underlying contract, approval documents, payment certificates and applicable procurement thresholds.

Questions Over Contractor’s Corporate Status

Yus Associates Limited is identified in the report as a company registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission under registration number RC 979762 on September 13, 2011.

The corporate register information cited in the records describes the company as inactive, indicating that its statutory filings were not up to date.

That status raises additional questions about the company’s compliance position and the documentation available when it received the renovation payments.

However, an inactive status associated with outstanding statutory filings does not, on its own, establish that a company was legally prohibited from undertaking the work or receiving payment at the time.

Further clarification would be required to establish the company’s status when the contract was awarded and when the payments were made.

Procurement Splitting Allegations Require Further Examination

The Public Procurement Act 2007 contains provisions intended to prevent the splitting of procurement requirements to circumvent applicable approval thresholds and procurement procedures.

In the case of the Lagos renovation, the two payments were made to the same contractor, for the same project, on the same day.

The combined value was ₦24,899,600.

These circumstances warrant examination of whether the transactions represented instalments under one properly approved contract or separate procurement arrangements.

The relevant contract documents, procurement approvals, completion certificates and payment records would help establish whether the arrangement complied with the law.

Without those documents, it would be premature to conclude that the two payments constituted unlawful procurement splitting.

All Transactions Occurred Under Coker-Odusote’s Leadership

Abisoye Coker-Odusote assumed office as Director-General of NIMC on August 24, 2023.

All the payments examined in this report occurred during her tenure, between December 2023 and May 2026.

The records raise questions about the commission’s financial management and procurement controls during the period, particularly regarding cash advances to individuals, vendor identification, supporting documentation and payments relating to a single renovation project.

However, the fact that the transactions occurred during her tenure does not, by itself, establish that the Director-General personally authorised each payment or was involved in any wrongdoing.

Establishing individual responsibility would require examination of the relevant approval processes, delegation of authority and supporting records.

Questions NIMC Should Answer

In the interest of transparency and accountability, NIMC should clarify the following:

1. Cash advances: Were all seven payments properly authorised and retired with receipts and supporting documents?

2. Christmas hampers: Which vendors supplied the 40 hampers purchased for ₦8.5 million, and what did each hamper contain?

3. Digital signages: Which company supplied the two digital advertising panel signages purchased for ₦9 million, and where were they installed?

4. Event expenditure: What event was funded by the ₦7 million advance issued on December 12, 2023, and what documentation accounts for the expenditure?

5. Procurement compliance: What procurement procedures and approvals supported the payments made to the five individuals?

6. Lagos office renovation: Why was the ₦24.9 million renovation expenditure recorded as two payments to the same contractor on the same day?

7. Contract documentation: Was there a single approved contract covering the full renovation cost, and what completion and payment certificates supported the transactions?

8. Corporate status: What was the contractor’s compliance status at the time the renovation contract was awarded and paid?

The answers would help establish whether the transactions complied with public financial management and procurement requirements.

TrackNews Online’s Position: The figures and payment descriptions outlined in this report warrant clarification from the commission. The findings presented here raise questions about public expenditure and documentation but should not be interpreted as proof of fraud or unlawful conduct without further evidence.

NIMC’s response, including any documentation establishing the approvals, procurement procedures, delivery of goods and services, and retirement of cash advances, would be relevant to a fuller assessment of the transactions.

TRACKNEWS ONLINE | INVESTIGATIVE DESK