ICPC Uncovers Deep Procurement Failures, Partners FRC to Strengthen Anti-Corruption Oversight
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has warned that entrenched flaws in Nigeria’s public procurement and contract system are undermining national development, even as the Commission entered into a new partnership with the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) to boost financial transparency and accountability across government institutions.
Speaking at a Procurement Engagement Workshop in Abuja to mark the 2025 World Anti-Corruption Day, ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN—represented by the Commission’s Secretary, Mr. Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu, DSSRS—highlighted widespread procurement abuses including inflated contracts, duplicated projects, abandoned infrastructure, and projects deliberately sited on private property.
Dr. Aliyu said findings from the ICPC’s Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative (CEPTI) show a pattern of collusion between contractors and officials, diversion of public resources, and conversion of government-owned equipment for personal use. He warned that these entrenched practices continue to drain national revenue and slow development.
The ICPC Chairman called for urgent legislative intervention, urging the National Assembly to establish Special Crimes Courts, strengthen monitoring systems, and ensure adequate funding for anti-corruption agencies. He stressed that transparency in procurement requires open competition, full disclosure, rigorous performance reporting, and political will, noting that technology such as e-procurement cannot succeed without institutional reforms.
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Stakeholders at the workshop echoed the concerns. Chairman of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption, Prince Moshood Akiolu, commended ICPC’s initiatives and urged procurement officials to uphold value for money. Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, described the BPP–ICPC relationship as essential to strengthening accountability.
Providing technical insight, Director-General of the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), Professor Samson Duna, revealed that procurement fraud contributes to 38 percent of building collapses in Nigeria.
In a related development, the ICPC also formalised a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) to improve oversight of public finances. The signing ceremony, held at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja and coinciding with International Anti-Corruption Day, reaffirmed the agencies’ shared commitment to enhanced transparency and accountability.
Dr. Aliyu described the partnership as a natural extension of the agencies’ long-running cooperation, noting that the FRC’s expertise in monitoring government borrowing, budgeting, and expenditure will reinforce ICPC’s preventive and enforcement roles.
FRC Chairman, Barrister Victor Muruako, said the MoU formalises an already productive working relationship and will help ensure compliance with fiscal laws. He raised concerns over reported violations by financial institutions and stressed the need for loans to be obtained strictly within legal frameworks.
Under the agreement, both agencies will strengthen information sharing, intensify oversight of revenue and expenditure, and collaborate in detecting, investigating, and prosecuting fiscal and procurement-related offences.
Both ICPC and FRC expressed optimism that the renewed partnership—combined with calls for systemic reform—will significantly enhance Nigeria’s fight against corruption and improve overall governance in public financial management.
By PRNigeria
