The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has successfully intercepted N5.882 billion earmarked for diversion by various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). The anti-corruption body also recovered N10 billion allocated for COVID-19 vaccine production, returning it to the government treasury.
Additionally, the commission recovered N10.986 billion in unpaid Value-Added Tax (VAT), remitting it to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu disclosed these achievements at a year-end event in Abuja on Tuesday, which marked his first year in office. Aliyu highlighted that the commission’s Systems Study and Review (SSR) and Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS) across 323 MDAs were instrumental in blocking these diversions.
He further revealed that $966,900.83 in foreign currency was recovered and deposited into ICPC’s Central Bank of Nigeria account.
Dignitaries at the event included the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, and Francis Kaifala, the Commissioner of Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commission.
In his keynote address, Kaifala called for regional collaboration to tackle corruption in Africa, citing Nigeria’s progress as an inspiration for his country’s reforms.
Similarly, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Adebowale Adedokun, reaffirmed the bureau’s commitment to fostering transparency and accountability in the nation’s procurement process.
These recoveries and reforms underscore ICPC’s dedication to curbing financial misconduct and promoting ethical governance.
