In one year, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) has intercepted and recovered the sum of N30 billion meant for constituency projects.
The anti-graft agency made the recoveries from items listed in the budget which were reportedly diverted by some lawmakers.
They were uncovered under the Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative (CEPTI) phase 7, 2024 which was carried out between December 2023 and December 2024.
The initiative, which was launched in 2015, tracks the implementation and performance of constituency projects to promote accountability.
The focus areas are education, empowerment and capacity building, health, water resources, agriculture, road infrastructure, and power.
READ ALSO: Supreme Court, Hajj Commission, UI Among ‘High Corruption Risk’ MDAs – ICPC
LEADERSHIP Weekend discovered that the ICPC tracked a total of 1,500 projects in 22 states during the period under review.
Of the total project value of N610 billion, the ICPC saved N30 billion, recovered N360 million in cash and assets worth N400 million.
In the area of Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS), which is a yearly programme of the ICPC, it rated the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) as the lead in its 2024 assessment.
While JAMB achieved 89.75 per cent compliance, the NRC attained 89.33 per cent and NBET 88.73 per cent.
These were part of the ICPC report released during a press conference on Thursday, detailing the assessment of 330 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the country to evaluate their ethical standards, anti-corruption measures, and governance practices.
The assessment focused on key ndicators such as governance and executive management practices, finance and auditing processes, as well as policies, ethics education, and whistle-blowing mechanisms.
The report also showed that the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria Press Council (NPC), Legal Aid Council (LAC), Abuja, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), and Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Abuja, scored zero points in the evaluation – which implied non-compliance.
Similarly, tertiary schools such as the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike in Abia State; Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation (FFM) in Mando, Kaduna State; Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State; Federal Polytechnic Ede (FPE) in Ede, Osun State, and the University of Ibadan (UI) in Ibadan, Oyo State, were also among those at the bottom of the list.
ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, while briefing the press, said the EICS was designed to enhance the transparency, accountability, and integrity of government institutions, ultimately contributing to the fight against corruption.
He said that the commission will continue to recognise and reward MDAs with substantial compliance, while also holding non-compliant institutions accountable through enforcement actions.
While asserting that the commission will continue deploying these tools to promote integrity and accountability, he warned that non-compliant MDAs will face necessary actions, including enforcement, to ensure adherence to government directives.
“We are certain that these efforts will continue to underline ICPC’s dedication to enhancing good governance and preventing corruption,” he said.
Meanwhile, in general the ICPC recovered a total of N53.1billion in cash and assets in the past one year.
A breakdown of the recovery showed that N29.700 billion was recovered in cash and domiciled in ICPC recovery accounts; N10.986 billion VAT recovered and remitted to Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS); N10 billion Covid-19 vaccine fund meant for production of vaccine recovered and remitted to the treasury and assets valued at N2.5billion also recovered.
The ICPC chairman, Dr. Musa Aliyu, while speaking on the general recoveries, said the agency recovered foreign currency of about $966,900.83 in the past one year.
Dr Aliyu explained that the funds were intercepted while conducting Systems Study and Review (SSR) for 323 ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) of government.
According to him, “As part of its commitment to institutional accountability, the commission assessed 323 MDAs through its Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS).
“It also established 80 Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units (ACTUs) across MDAs to reinforce its anti-corruption efforts. While doing these, the commission stopped the diversion of public funds to the tune of N5.882 billion.”
The ICPC boss further disclosed that the organisation had processed 851 petitions, with 342 assigned for investigation, 95 fully investigated, 72 cases filed in court, and 16 convictions secured in the past one year.
While speaking on plans to get faster prosecution of cases, Aliyu said, “In this regard, we are streamlining our processes to ensure faster and more effective prosecution of cases, leading to the resuscitation of 10-15-year-old cases in courts. We have also advanced the fight against sexual harassment and corruption in educational institutions and public offices, achieving ongoing prosecutions and increased public support.”
CSOs Want Perpetrators Sanctioned
Meanwhile, some civil society organisations have called for sanctions against people caught diverting constituency projects.
The convener of the Coalition of Anti-corruption Group, Martins Udeh said anyone caught diverting project funds for personal gains should be jailed.
For his part, the chairman of Transparency Organisation Network Nigeria, Philip Ajah, said Nigeria’s need to publicly name, shame and prosecute all those involved in constituency projects diversion.