The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has revealed that 257 projects worth N20.138 billion were duplicated in the 2021 budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari before the House of Assembly.
This was disclosed by the commission’s chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye, during the third national summit on diminishing corruption in the public service with the theme “Corruption and the Cost of Governance: New Imperatives for Fiscal Transparency”, The Cable reports.
According to the ICPC boss, the commission tracked 1083 projects across the country except for some states burdened with security challenges, including Borno and Zamfara.
Owasanoye said during the exercise, 67 contractors were forced back to the site and ensured completion of 966 projects worth N310 billion previously abandoned.
“Our findings indicate that the same malady of corruption afflicts executive as well as zip projects thus undermining government projections, escalating the cost of governance and denying Nigeria value for money.”
“These maladies include poor needs assessment that disconnects projects from beneficiaries; false certification of uncompleted contracts as completed, deliberate underperformance of contracts, incessant criminal diversion and conversion of public property by civil servants, to name just a few.
“Other challenges relate to duplication of projects in the budget. ICPC review found that 257 projects amounting to N20.138bn were duplicated in the 2021 budget leading us to submit an advisory to the Honourable minister of finance which was promptly actioned by the minister to prevent abuse.”
