Chronicles Reporters can exclusively report, based on documents and findings obtained by Secret Reporters, that the former Bursar of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Ibrahim Jibril Mason, allegedly used his office in 2024 to facilitate the award and payment of a multi-million-naira contract to a company in which he is a director raising fresh questions about conflict of interest, abuse of office, and the deepening culture of impunity within Nigeria’s federal institutions.
Financial records sourced from the Federal Government’s open financial transaction portal indicate that on December 31, 2024, NCAT paid ₦12,813,820.97 to Vikam-MDA Associates Limited for the training of management staff on achieving workplace synergy for effective management. The transaction, referenced #1001258371-37, was processed and approved during Mason’s tenure as Bursar of the aviation college.
Further investigations by Secret Reporters, corroborated through Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) records, reveal that Vikam-MDA Associates Limited, incorporated on November 20, 2014 under RC 1226332, lists Ibrahim Jibril Mason and Ali Aliyu Mohammed as directors and shareholders. The company’s registered address is 20/21 Bawa Hayatu Street, Bakin Ruwa, Rigasa, Kaduna State.
This corporate linkage strongly suggests that while serving as NCAT’s chief financial officer, Mason allegedly presided over or influenced the award of a government-funded contract to a company he co-owned thereby placing himself in a position to benefit personally from public funds.
Legal analysts say such an arrangement runs afoul of Nigeria’s constitutional and procurement safeguards. Part I, Paragraph 1 of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended) expressly bars public officers from engaging in private business—except farming or from placing themselves in situations where personal interests conflict with official duties. Paragraph 6 further prohibits public officers from participating in any contract or arrangement in which they have a personal interest.
“A serving bursar awarding or approving a contract for his own company is a textbook case of conflict of interest and abuse of office,” said Barrister A. U. Yusuf, a constitutional lawyer. “Such conduct is actionable before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, with liability arising under the Constitution.”
The latest revelations compound the controversies that have trailed NCAT in recent years. In October 2024, the House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets indicted several NCAT officials including then Bursar Ibrahim Jibril Mason over the illegal auction of two Bell 206 helicopters valued at more than ₦556 million. The committee, chaired by Hon. Ademorin Kuye, found that the aircraft each with fewer than 50 flight hours were sold to Blue Horn Aviation Services Limited and Premier Jet Services Limited without Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval, in clear breach of extant government disposal procedures.
The committee also faulted the auction process, noting that the auctioneer, Messrs Tresmo Nigeria Limited, was not licensed by the Certified Institute of Auctioneers of Nigeria, further casting doubt on the legality and transparency of the transaction.
Despite the gravity of these allegations, Chronicles Reporters notes that there is no public record of disciplinary action or formal investigation by the Federal Ministry of Aviation or the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) into Mason’s conduct, either in relation to the helicopter auction or the alleged self-dealing contract.
Observers say the unfolding case typifies how entrenched impunity continues to undermine accountability across Nigeria’s federal training and educational institutions. Anti-corruption agencies including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) are now being urged to reopen Mason’s tenure at NCAT and scrutinise the web of contracts awarded during his time as Bursar.
Efforts to reach Ibrahim Jibril Mason for comments were unsuccessful, as his phone number or other means of contact could not be obtained as of the time of filing this report.