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By Christopher Oji
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) has disclosed that the commission’s Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Group (CEPTG) has been able to track a total of N219.844 billion from 176 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) since 2019.
The Chairman, ICPC, Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, who made the disclosure, yesterday, at a press briefing in Lagos, explained that the tracking exercise actually focused on critical sectors such as education, agriculture, healthcare, and infrastructure, and that it spanned across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) across all six geo-political zones in the country.
Adamu noted that the initiative is to ensure government funds are directed towards impactful projects that benefit the most vulnerable Nigerians. He said the 2024 Phase 6 exercise, which commenced in November 2023 and ran through the first quarter of 2024, covers the health, agriculture, education, water resources, and power sectors in 26 states and the FCT, and that the exercise is still ongoing.
Highlighting the findings from Phase 6 Tracking Exercise, the commission’s chairman said a total of 1,721 government-funded projects were tracked within the Phase 6 tracking cycle, and that the commission is conducting further investigations on some infractions discovered.
“These are under performed projects, shoddily executed projects, abandoned projects, certification of projects as completed when such projects have not been completed and hordding of projects such as empowerment projects meant to be distributed to intended beneficiaries to empower them or serve to alleviate their poverty were hoarded, while some other items were distributed through proxies. It was observed that some agencies were in the habit of handing over empowerment items to stakeholders for onward distribution to the intended beneficiaries. This practice encouraged hoarding and politicisation of the empowerment sharing processes.
“To stem the tide of empowerment items being converted to personal use or for personal aggrandisement, and to engender value for money on government funds as well as for impactful socio-economic development of the citizenry, relevant MDAs have been mandated to invite ICPC to monitor the distribution of empowerment items on their budget.
“Other findings are: Projects in which contractors returned to sites, 176; appropriations for all tracked projects, N220 billion; contracts value of all projects tracked, N285 billion; value of projects on which contractors returned to sites, 30 billion; cash recoveries made so far, N163 million; recoveries made in assets, so far, N513.3 million; recoveries made, cash and assets, N676 million and cumulative savings to government, N30 billion,” he added.
Commenting on why the commission opted for a plea bargain, the ICPC Chairman said it saves time, money and helps the government to recover stolen or diverted funds. He said instead of a case lingering in court for a decade, “we will quickly recover the money and put it to public use, instead of the thief using the money for litigation against us. Plea bargain is also intended to make the thief poor and suffer from stealing public funds”.
Highlighting achievements recorded in the maritime sector, he said the commission, in collaboration with other agencies, conducted a corruption risk assessment of key Nigerian seaports and that the assessment identified vulnerabilities.
“These vulnerabilities led to the development of measures to improve transparency and accountability in the sector. These measures include: Standardised Operating Procedures (SOPs): Consistent procedures for all government agencies operating at the ports. Port Service Support Portal (PSSP): A web-based platform for addressing business complaints and grievances.
“Nigerian Port Process Manual (NPPM): A step-by-step guide to port operations promoting compliance and transparency. An enforcement team (Ports Standing Task Team – PSTT) was established to ensure adherence to these measures,” he added.
The chairman further explained that the efforts led to 19 investigations and about 50 arrests made in 2023.
“Legal proceedings initiated, including asset forfeiture led to Improved port efficiency and streamlined operations, especially at Apapa and Tin-Can ports and the dismantling of corruption networks causing traffic congestion. The commission has over the years developed its capacity, experience, ideas and strategies to combat corrupt practices in the public sector. We will continue on this trajectory under my leadership. However, the commission requires support of all Nigerians which include the media to effectively deliver on its mandates,” he said.
