ICPC recovers N676m in 6 months, saves N30b for govt, says Aliyu

The chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN) has said the Commission recovered a total of N676 million between November 2023 and April 2024, and made a cumulative saving of N30 billion for the government.

A breakdown of the recovery, he said, indicated that N163 million was in cash, while N513.3 million was recovered in assets.

He said that 1,355 contractors/companies were involved in the infractions.

Addressing the media on Monday in Lagos, he disclosed that the Commission has conducted a thorough investigation on some infractions identified on funded projects and consequently instituted cases against some suspects.

Aliyu stated that the Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Group (CEPTG) of the Commission has tracked a total of N219,843,922,945.48 billion across 176 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) since its inception in 2019 under the 2024 phase 6 tracking exercise.

This tracking exercise, he explained, focuses on critical sectors like education, agriculture, health care and infrastructure, spanning 26 states and the FCT across all 6 geo-political zones.

His words: “This initiative ensures government funds are directed towards impactful projects that benefit the most vulnerable Nigerians.

“The Phase 6 exercise, which commenced in November 2023 through the first quarter of 2024 covers the Health, Agriculture, Education, Water Resources and Power sectors in 26 states and the FCT is still ongoing. Final report of the exercise will be published and made public.

“A total of 1,721 government-funded projects were tracked within the Phase 6 tracking cycle. The Commission is conducting further investigations on some infractions discovered. which are: under performed projects, shoddily executed projects, abandoned projects as well as certification of projects as completed when such projects have not been completed.”

Others, he said, include hoarding of projects such as empowerment projects meant to be distributed to intended beneficiaries or handing over empowerment items to stakeholders for onward distribution to the intended beneficiaries, which encourages hoarding and politicisation of 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, the ICPC boss said, have been mandated to invite the body to monitor the distribution of empowerment items on their budgets.

He stated that the efforts of the Ports Standing Task Team (PSTT), an enforcement unit, resulted in 50 arrests in 2023, which related to 19 investigations, while legal proceedings it filed included ones on asset forfeiture, improved port efficiency and streamlined operations, especially at Apapa and Tin-Can ports as well as dismantling of corruption networks causing traffic congestion in the ports.

Other feats by the body, he said, include forcing 176 contractors back to site worth N30 billion, and tracking N220 billion appropriation for projects as well as discovering contracts worth N285 billion for all projects tracked.

The ICPC boss assured Nigerians that the Commission is committed to adhere to the rule of law and international best practices in the investigation and prosecution of persons suspected to have committed corrupt practices.

According to him, 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 pleaded.

The senior lawyer explained that since taking office in December 2023, he prioritised strengthening anti-corruption prevention through strategic collaboration.

This collaborative approach, he said, has yielded significant progress.

“The effort has led to the initiation, renewal, and establishment of numerous mutually beneficial partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders such as Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

“Other partners include government agencies, civil society organisations, professional associations, and bilateral bodies. Some notable examples include the Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Ministry of Interior, among others,” he pointed out.

The Commission, he stated, is actively pursuing technological solutions to enhance transparency and accountability.

“Earlier this month, the ICPC met with the Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy to explore leveraging digital public infrastructure for anti-corruption efforts.

“This strategic collaboration aims to not only utilise technology to combat corruption but also to strengthen the ICPC’s overall capacity. From the foregoing, the ICPC’s commitment to partnering with institutions and agencies possessing technological expertise aligns perfectly with President Bola Tinubu’s vision for a technology-driven fight against corruption,” he said.