An investigation by SaharaReporters has uncovered that Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, awarded contracts worth N3.1 billion to his brother-in-law, Nwode Chidi Henry, through a company registered a little over two years ago.
The company, HC Carter Ventures Ltd, was incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission on April 25, 2023, just a month before the end of the previous administration in Ebonyi State.
Between July 2024 and May 2025, the newly registered firm secured three separate contracts totalling over N3 billion from the state government.
One of the contracts, awarded on July 25, 2024, was valued at N400 million and involved the construction of a two-kilometre stretch of road from Ngamgbo Elom Note to Onu UIO Akpu Junction in the Mkpoke community, Ikwo Local Government Area.
On October 7, 2024, HC Carter Ventures was awarded a contract valued at N172 million for the construction of a 12-classroom storey building at Community Secondary School, Ojiegbe Nkaliki.
Further records reveal that on May 6, 2025, the company received another contract worth N2.541 billion for the construction of a 5,000-meter concrete rigid pavement (Phase 2) along the TTC–Iboko Road in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Altogether, the three contracts awarded to HC Carter Ventures within two years of its registration total N3.113 billion.
A review of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) database shows that the person with significant control of the company is Nwode Chidi Henry, whose listed address is located within government quarters in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
Further investigation using network analysis confirms that Nwode is the younger brother of Ebonyi State First Lady, Mary-Maudline Nwifuru.
On February 23, Mary-Maudline celebrated Nwode’s birthday in a post on her Instagram page, which has 6,139 followers. In her message, she described him as her “kid brother,” writing: “Cheers to a fantastic year ahead. Best wishes from your big sister and lots of love from my family.”
In a Facebook post published in December 2024, the lawmaker representing Ebonyi North East constituency in the State House of Assembly, Chinyere Nwogbaga, stated that she attended the wedding ceremony of “Mr. Henry Chidi Nwode — younger brother to Her Excellency, wife of the Governor of Ebonyi State.”
Further examination of records from the Ebonyi State Open Contracting Portal reveals that two of the three contracts awarded to Mr. Nwode’s company, HC Carter Ventures Ltd, were executed through a non-competitive process, with the company listed as the sole bidder. These two contracts were collectively valued at N572 million.
Only the third contract, awarded at a much higher sum of N2.541 billion, reportedly involved two additional contenders.
This process raises questions of compliance, as Section 21 of the Ebonyi State Public Procurement Law (2020) mandates that contracts be awarded through open competitive bidding “in a manner which is transparent, timely and equitable for ensuring accountability.”
It further states that contracts should be awarded in a manner that promotes “competition, economy and efficiency.”
SaharaReporters also conducted a digital footprint analysis of HC Carter Ventures but found no trace of the company online. The firm has no known website, and similar names found during the search were linked to entities registered in foreign countries.
Searches on major social media platforms — including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram — also returned no results associated with the company.
At the time of filing this report, HC Carter Ventures was listed as inactive on the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) portal.
When contacted for comments, Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Jude Okpor, told reporters there was nothing improper about awarding contracts to the First Lady’s younger brother.
“There is nothing wrong with the younger brother of the first lady getting contracts; he is a citizen of Nigeria. Ebonyi has been given a clean bill of health by reputable organisations for its procurement methods,” he told SaharaReporters.
He further argued that the processes of awarding contracts deployed by the state are transparent.
“We do e-procurement and it is transparent,” he said.