257 projects worth N20bn duplicated in 2021 budget, says ICPC

Bolaji Owasanoye, chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), says 257 projects amounting to N20.138 billion were duplicated in the 2021 budget.

The ICPC chairman while speaking at 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”, said the commission tracked 1083 projects across the country with the exception of Borno and Zamfara owing to security challenges.

He said during the exercise, the ICPC forced 67 contractors back to site and ensured completion of 966 projects worth N310 billion some of which were hitherto 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,” Owasanoye said.

“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.”