The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) on Tuesday denied media reports that the agency had engaged in financial fraud in the award and execution of its ongoing NASENI Campus Project. It also described the publications, which it directly linked to “two online media platforms,” as “false, misleading and malicious.”
Olusegun Ayeoyenikan, who is the Director of Information at the Agency, in a statement, dismissed the reports published by Sahara Reporters and Secret Reporters, scrutinizing NASENI’s payment of N10.648 billion to CGC Nigeria Limited as mobilisation fee for the construction its Campus Project located at the Abuja Technology Village in Lugbe.
It also said the publications wrongly insinuated that the payment, representing 30 per cent of the contract sum, was hurriedly made in December 2025 to exhaust available funds. The agency further stated that such allegations were entirely unfounded, and that the mobilisation payment complied fully with existing procurement laws and financial regulations governing public contracts in Nigeria.
NASENI faulted Sahara Reporters for citing the former 15 per cent mobilisation limit under the Public Procurement Act 2007, while noting that the media platform overlooked amendments introduced through the Finance Act 2020, which increased the maximum allowable mobilisation fee for public contracts from 15 per cent to 30 per cent. The agency said it was disappointed that both media organisations allegedly failed to seek clarification from its management before publishing the reports, thereby denying the public a balanced and factual account of the project.
According to NASENI, the Campus Project is a flagship Science, Technology and Innovation Complex designed to strengthen Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
It further stated that in 2025, reputable and qualified firms were engaged through a competitive procurement process for the execution of the project, following which CGC Nigeria Limited emerged as the successful contractor after meeting all technical and financial requirements and obtaining a Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) Certificate of No Objection.
NASENI narrated that the contract award subsequently received approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in November 2025. It also disclosed that before the mobilisation payment was made, CGC Nigeria Limited provided an unconditional bank guarantee from a reputable Nigerian commercial bank in compliance with approved procurement procedures. The contractor, NASENI said, was thereafter mobilised with 30 per cent of the contract value to facilitate commencement of work on the project site, stressing that the payment was fully supported by law.
Referring to provisions of the Finance Act 2020, NASENI explained that the legislation amended Section 35 of the Public Procurement Act 2007 to permit mobilisation fees of up to 30 per cent for contractors, provided such payments are backed by an unconditional bank guarantee or insurance bond acceptable to the procuring entity. It also quoted the amended provision, which states that “a mobilization fee of not more than 30% for contractors may be paid to a supplier or contractor supported by an unconditional bank guarantee or insurance bond issued by an institution acceptable to the procuring entity until the mobilization fee is fully amortised or recovered.”
NASENI maintained that all procedures relating to the award and execution of the Campus Project were carried out in strict compliance with statutory, legal and procurement requirements.
The Agency urged media organisations to verify information and seek clarification from relevant authorities before publishing allegations capable of misleading the public, reiterating its commitment to transparency, accountability and due process in the execution of public projects.
According to NASENI’s statement, “It is on record that the NASENI Campus construction is steadily progressing. The Campus is being developed to address a critical challenge: helping promising Nigerian ideas move beyond research and prototypes into market-ready products, businesses and industries.
“When completed, the Campus will provide research laboratories, advanced prototyping and fabrication facilities, co-working spaces and collaborative learning facilities where innovators, researchers, engineers and industry can work together.
“The project reflects NASENI’s 3Cs of Creation, Collaboration and Commercialization, providing a pathway for innovators, including those emerging from initiatives such as #InnovateNaija, Futuremakers and others to develop, test and advance their solutions towards the market.
“As construction progresses, each milestone brings NASENI closer to creating the infrastructure needed to turn homegrown innovation into economic and industrial value.”
