The National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), wey get im headquarters for Zaria, Kaduna State, get one specific job wey the law give am: research into chemicals, industrial processes, and how to help Nigeria stop relying too much on imported raw materials. But as e dey look now, the institute don find new “business.” On Monday, May 11, 2026, the institute abandon chemical research to dey build rural roads for Ogun State—a place wey dey over 700 kilometres away from their base. The matter come worse pass that one because, on that same day, dem pay for the exact same road contract two times.
Details wey dey ground show say on May 11, 2026, the institute, wey carry payer code 0228044001, raise two different payment vouchers for one company wey dem call Rightnetwork Investment Limited. Voucher number 1001409298 carry N94,380,976.10, and voucher number 1001409321 also carry the exact same amount: N94,380,976.10. Both payment vouchers show Rightnetwork Investment Limited as the beneficiary, both carry the same date, and the description for wetin the money be for—”payment for the development of rural roads for community enhancement in Ogun State”—is word-for-word identical.
Dis one no be mistake for computer database. Each payment bin dey processed fully and dem even remove withholding tax for both of them. For voucher 1001409298, the institute pay N7,260,075.08 as withholding tax to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and dem repeat the same process for the second voucher, paying another N7,260,075.08. Since the money move twice, the government collect tax twice.
The problem be say the official records go silent exactly where dem suppose distinguish the two payments. For both vouchers, the narration just stop abruptly for the word “LOTS,” with no lot number to show which road project the money dey specifically meant for. Dis matter dey suspicious because other payments wey the institute make that same day—like the one to Logine International Limited for classrooms—clearly list “Lots 1, 2, 3.” Even their payments to NASA Global Resources Service Ltd and LRB Global Investment Limited, wey also collect N94,380,976.10 for Ogun road projects, clearly state “Lot I to V.” Only the payment to Rightnetwork come trail off and keep quiet about the specific lot.
N94,380,976.10 be the standard price for an Ogun road package that day, and that figure show up four times in the federal payment record for that date. However, those two vouchers to Rightnetwork stand out because, out of 722 payments wey NARICT don make since 2018, those two are the only payments the institute ever pay to Rightnetwork Investment Limited.
Surprisingly, those road contracts no even be the only “strange” thing wey happen. May 11, 2026, look like the day wey the institute decide to offload their entire budget for the season. A total of 32 different payments, all summing up to N1,523,728,999.48, were processed on that one single day. The institute pay millions for solar street lights, classrooms and toilets in Ogun, classrooms in Yobe, and youth training programs. For an institute set up for chemical technology research, it is clear that their attention shifted heavily to contracts that have nothing to do with chemistry.
The company at the center of this, Rightnetwork Investment Limited, wey dem register for September 2020, no be any research firm. Investigation show say during that same period, the company bin dey receive money from different government agencies across the country. Dem receive billions of naira for contracts ranging from Hiace buses and solar boreholes to school furniture and farming equipment. It looks like Rightnetwork dey sell “everything,” and various government bodies dey patronize them aggressively.
Engr. Dr. Kabiru Mu’azu, the Director General and Chief Executive of NARICT, dey oversee the institute while all these transactions dey happen. As a career insider who don work for the institute since 1999 and rise to become the fifth chief executive, Dr. Mu’azu dey in charge of the affairs of the institute during the time these heavy payments were pushed through.
Source: NaijaProbe