The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission says fraudulent activities within procurement systems across Ministries, Departments and Agencies remain widespread. ICPC Chairman Dr Musa Aliyu, represented by the Commission’s Secretary Clifford Oparaodu, spoke at a workshop in Abuja on enhancing transparency in the procurement process.
He said corruption in contract awards cannot be fully quantified, noting common schemes such as contract splitting to bypass approval limits, inflating invoices by up to 300 per cent, phantom projects that exist only on paper and substandard execution that delivers less than half of project value despite full payment. He added that mobilisation funds often disappear due to project abandonment, while collusion and repeated funding of identical projects also fuel losses.
Dr Aliyu said public procurement accounts for up to a quarter of Nigeria’s GDP, making it the country’s largest area of government spending and the most vulnerable to corruption. He described procurement as the point where policy is translated into projects or diverted into private pockets.
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The ICPC chairman revealed that the Commission, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Works, is tracking road projects worth N36 trillion across all states to improve accountability. He noted that technology alone cannot address the problem and called for additional reforms to strengthen transparency and compliance in the procurement system.
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