  Using new XMM and Chandra observations we present an analysis of the metal
abundances of the hot gas within a radius of 100 kpc of the bright nearby
galaxy group NGC 5044. Motivated by the inconsistent abundance and temperature
determinations obtained by different observers for X-ray groups, we provide a
detailed investigation of the systematic errors on the derived abundances
considering the effects of the temperature distribution, calibration, plasma
codes, bandwidth, Galactic Nh, and background rate. The iron abundance (Fe)
drops from Fe ~1 solar within R ~50 kpc to Fe ~0.4 solar near R=100 kpc. This
radial decline in Fe is highly significant: Fe=1.09 +/- 0.04 solar (stat) +/-
0.05 solar + 0.18 solar (sys) within R=48 kpc (5') compared to Fe=0.44 +/- 0.02
solar (stat) +/- 0.10 solar + 0.13 solar (sys) over R=48-96 kpc (5'-10'). The
data rule out with high confidence a very sub-solar value for Fe within R=48
kpc confirming that previous claims of very sub-solar central Fe values in NGC
5044 were primarily the result of the Fe Bias: i.e., the incorrect assumption
of spatially isothermal and single-phase gas when in fact temperature
variations exist. Within R=48 kpc we obtain Si/Fe = 0.83 +/- 0.02 (stat) +/-
0.02 + 0.07 (sys) and S/Fe = 0.54 +/- 0.02 (stat) +/- 0.01 + 0.01 (sys) in
solar units. These ratios are consistent with their values at larger radii and
imply that SNIa have contributed ~80% of the iron mass within a 100 kpc radius
of NGC 5044. This SNIa fraction is similar to the Sun and suggests an IMF
similar to that of the Milky Way. At the very center (R ~2 kpc) the XMM and
Chandra CCDs and the XMM RGS show that the Fe drops to ~50% of its value at
immediately larger radius analogously to that seen in some galaxy clusters.
(Abridged)
