ICPC to investigate fraudulent purchases at 712 government-funded projects in 20 states
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) will investigate fraudulent and other procurement in 712 government projects in 20 Nigerian states as part of Phase 5 of the Nigerian Project Monitoring Exercise. constituency and the executive.
DAILY POST learned this on Sunday in a statement signed by the Commission's spokesperson, Ms Azuka Ogugua.
ICPC said the 5th phase, involving 712 government-funded projects, will begin on November 8, 2022, in 20 states crossing the six geopolitical zones. The states are Kaduna, Jigawa, Sokoto, Katsina, Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Cross River, Delta, Rivers, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Borno, Bauchi and Gombe.
The anti-corruption agency noted that along with other follow-up exercises conducted by the ICPC since the launch in 2019, the objective of phase 5 is to investigate fraudulent sourcing practices in awarding contracts for selected projects across the country. It aims to ensure that all government-funded projects are executed according to their specifications and to effect recoveries when project costs are inflated by contractors or are poorly executed.
The Commission, during the 4th phase of the exercise, successfully monitored 538 projects in nine areas of intervention: health, education, energy, water resources, works, housing, agriculture, transport and the environment.
The exercise was conducted in 19 states across the six geopolitical zones and FCT including Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Enugu, Ebonyi, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue, Adamawa, Yobe , Taraba, Borno and FCT.
Some of the findings of the Phase 4 exercise include the discovery of padded projects worth N7.1 billion, with some contractors who had abandoned project sites being forced to return to different sites to complete projects worth N10.9 billion, while N6.8 billion in recoveries (cash and assets) have been completed so far.
Furthermore, 109 of the 543 projects selected in phase 4, amounting to N1,176,867,800, were inserted, effectively turning them into zonal intervention projects. Intelligence revealed that the insertions were made by both lawmakers and some members of the government executive as part of the budget-making process.
Although Phase 4 was intended to focus only on executive projects, it did, however, become another constituency project tracking exercise due to the volume of budget padding found among the selected projects.
Phase 5 of the exercise will be carried out by CPIC in collaboration with relevant stakeholders such as the Federation Budget Office, the Federation Accountant General's Office, the Federation Auditor General's Office, the Bureau of Public Finance Procurement, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, the media and civil society organizations that constitute the steering committee.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) will investigate fraudulent and other procurement in 712 government projects in 20 Nigerian states as part of Phase 5 of the Nigerian Project Monitoring Exercise. constituency and the executive.
DAILY POST learned this on Sunday in a statement signed by the Commission's spokesperson, Ms Azuka Ogugua.
ICPC said the 5th phase, involving 712 government-funded projects, will begin on November 8, 2022, in 20 states crossing the six geopolitical zones. The states are Kaduna, Jigawa, Sokoto, Katsina, Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Cross River, Delta, Rivers, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Borno, Bauchi and Gombe.
The anti-corruption agency noted that along with other follow-up exercises conducted by the ICPC since the launch in 2019, the objective of phase 5 is to investigate fraudulent sourcing practices in awarding contracts for selected projects across the country. It aims to ensure that all government-funded projects are executed according to their specifications and to effect recoveries when project costs are inflated by contractors or are poorly executed.
The Commission, during the 4th phase of the exercise, successfully monitored 538 projects in nine areas of intervention: health, education, energy, water resources, works, housing, agriculture, transport and the environment.
The exercise was conducted in 19 states across the six geopolitical zones and FCT including Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Enugu, Ebonyi, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue, Adamawa, Yobe , Taraba, Borno and FCT.
Some of the findings of the Phase 4 exercise include the discovery of padded projects worth N7.1 billion, with some contractors who had abandoned project sites being forced to return to different sites to complete projects worth N10.9 billion, while N6.8 billion in recoveries (cash and assets) have been completed so far.
Furthermore, 109 of the 543 projects selected in phase 4, amounting to N1,176,867,800, were inserted, effectively turning them into zonal intervention projects. Intelligence revealed that the insertions were made by both lawmakers and some members of the government executive as part of the budget-making process.
Although Phase 4 was intended to focus only on executive projects, it did, however, become another constituency project tracking exercise due to the volume of budget padding found among the selected projects.
Phase 5 of the exercise will be carried out by CPIC in collaboration with relevant stakeholders such as the Federation Budget Office, the Federation Accountant General's Office, the Federation Auditor General's Office, the Bureau of Public Finance Procurement, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, the media and civil society organizations that constitute the steering committee.
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