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ICPC: Freeing Hidden Funds By MDAs For Nigeria’s Development

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CUSTOMSGATE: $3 BILLION PROJECT RUNS INTO DISPUTE
 
 **Stopped N189bn Personnel Cost Diversion* 
In the past few years, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other-Related Offences Commission, as part of its statutory mandate, has been conducting systems study and review of ministries and organisations in the federal public service.
The overall objective of a system review is reform of the systems and procedures of public agencies with a view to identifying and eliminating, preventing, blocking and obstructing opportunities for corruption.
To achieve this, the exercise targets detecting areas of vulnerabilities, actual weaknesses, leakages and corruption risks and to recommend ways of strengthening these systems and removing the discretionary gaps and such opportunities for both individual and institutional malfeasance on public resources.
In addition, the review also targets shoring up public resources for government and make them available for utilisation in delivering good governance and the dividends of the country’s democratic processes.
Often time, these system study review leads to full blown investigation of egregious anomalies or enforcement measures like asset recovery and prosecution.
For instance, in 2019, the ICPC reviewed 208 agencies of government that are funded from the Federal Treasury and came up with outstanding results which included discovery of N31.8bn personnel cost surpluses for 2017 and 2018, and misapplication of N19.8bn and N9.2bn from Personnel Cost and Capital Fund respectively.
Consequent on these findings, N42bn unspent surplus allocations for Personnel Cost for 2019 alone was blocked from possible abuse and pilfering mostly from health and some educational institutions.
In 2020, the ICPC flagged N147bn personnel costs that would have been diverted by government agencies.
Similarly, between 2018 and 2020, the Commission flagged the sum of N220m that some MDAs had diverted from tax and other third party deductions such as union dues.
The implication of this is that if the ICPC had covered the entire civil service structure of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government, the figures would be staggering.
In 2020 the ICPC extended the review with more focus on Health and Education sectors which touched the lives of ordinary citizens and are critical to meeting any of the internationally recognized development goals but is a major headache to budget execution.
In addition, it commenced a review of Educational Institutions indicted in the 2017 Auditor-General’s Annual Audit Report for a wider range of financial infractions.
In December 2019 the Federal Government launched the Open Treasury Portal onto which all payments from N5m and above by MDAs are uploaded for the purpose of transparency and public scrutiny.
Following this launch, the ICPC immediately began studying payment data on the Portal again with focus on educational and health institutions.
While at it, the issue of payments of feeding allowance to federal unity secondary schools was thrown up and it had to carry out further investigations on expenditure on meal subsidy releases that remained constant despite the lockdown during which schools were closed and students away at home.
In response to its findings, The Federal Government decided to set up the Transparency Portal Quality Assurance and Compliance Committee with ICPC as a member.
The Committee scrutinized payments on the portal and periodically sends lists of agencies with serious infraction for further review and sometimes investigation and enforcement action.
In the spirit of collaboration it reported back its findings on cases of fraud but despite confronting erring ministries and MDAs with federal circulars prohibiting these activities, the infractions continue.
This development had made it compelling for stronger measures to be put in place on the part of government and anticorruption agencies.
Speaking on the development, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other-Related Offences Commission, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye (SAN) said so far, the Commission has uncovered massive financial irregularities in the operations of 51 Federal Government health institutions in the country.
Owasanoye was appointed as the ICPC Chairman in 2017. Before then, he was a member/Executive Secretary of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption.
He was appointed into PACAC by President Muhammadu Buhari to promote the reform agenda of the government on the anti-corruption effort as well as advise the government on the prosecution of the war against corruption and the implementation of required reforms in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
Bringing with him a lot of expertise in the fight against corruption, the ICPC Boss told Directors of Finance and Accounts and Directors of Internal Audit during an interactive forum that the irregularities in these government agencies with more focus on Health and Education sectors.
He said the need to focus on health and education sectors was because the sectors touched the lives of ordinary citizens and are critical to meeting any of the internationally recognized development goals.
Based on the review, he said these agencies have become a major headache to budget execution as the ICPC discovered padding of nominal rolls including inclusion of outsourced staff; warrant releases in excess of actual personnel cost needs; inadequate budgetary overhead allocation; and inadequate or non-budgetary allocation for outsourced services.
Owasanoye also said there was widespread misuse of personnel cost allocation on non-personnel related expenditure especially on outsourced services (N4.5bn); unspent excess balances despite abuses and misuse (N4.86bn); fraudulent diversion by role players of funds through manipulation of account numbers of beneficiaries on the GIFMIS Platform.
The ICPC Boss also said there were also the issues of REMITA payment system not allowing for the matching of account numbers with account names and thus making fraud easy; inordinate balance staffing levels between Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres.
He said the ICPC discovered the payment of advances beyond approved limit of N200,000 to individuals’ accounts; advances for projects paid into project accountants’ personal accounts with commercial banks; and payments to individual staff/accountants for disbursement to ad-hoc employees/outsourced services and other employees
The ICPC Boss explained that there was payment to project officers/accountants to pay casual/onsite employees who are employed for short periods and cannot be registered on the platform; while cash was made for staff Duty Tour Allowance, Transport, collation of results and the like for personnel of paramilitary services under the Ministry of Interior for promotion exercise.
To address these challenges, he called on the Federal Government to stop the late release of budgetary allocation especially at the end of the year to check fraud and corrupt practices by Ministries Departments and Agencies of government.
He said that the practice where funds are released at the end of the year for execution of projects raises opportunity for frenzied expenditure, circumvention of procedure, fraud and corruption.
Over the years, the Federal Government due to the delay in passing the budget had always resorted to late release of fund to MDAs as a measure to increase the rate of budget implementation.
For instance, in the 2020 budget, the Federal Government had extended the timeline for the execution of capital project till March 31, 2021 as opposed to the December 31 budget cycle.
The extension was done after the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed had written to the parliament, seeking extension of the timeline.
But speaking on the development, the ICPC Boss said the appropriated funds should be released in time to allow for strict compliance with procurement procedure, adding that when this cannot be achieved, the fund should be deferred till the following fiscal year as government is a continuum.
He said, “MDAs should be advised to issue financial reports on time to enable completion of annual audit and publishing of result on time. Sanctions should be introduced for inordinate delays.
“Government should avoid late releases of budget allocation, especially at the end of the year as the practice raises opportunity for frenzied expenditure, circumvention of procedure, fraud and corruption.
“Appropriated funds should be released in time to allow for strict compliance with procurement procedure, otherwise deferred till following fiscal year as government is a continuum.”
He also recommended that unspent balances should be blocked and restrained/reversed immediately salaries are paid to prevent misuse.
The ICPC Boss also said there is need to prevent unauthorised editing of payroll information data on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System platform for MDAs until after payment has been concluded by granting them view-only status.
He added that prevention of inflation of nominal rolls by MDAs for the 2021 Budget and beyond was vital to eliminate surplus allocation and releases, and other resultant infractions.
He called on the Federal Government to withdraw MDAs’ access to non-regular, pension and National Housing Insurance Scheme lines on GIFMIS and restrict same to IPPIS staff.
To eliminate fraudulent payments, Owasanoye called on the Federal Government to direct the application of the Bank Verification Number as a requirement in populating the Personnel Cost Budget Template and IPPIS data
He also urged the government to carry out a reform of the REMITA payment system to provide matching of account name with number for all payments.
He said banks should be directed to ensure that account names and numbers match before completing payment.
In the area of personnel, he advised that a staff audit should be conducted especially for educational and health institutions in order to establish actual staffing and staffing needs based on volume of work and appropriately right-size for cost efficiency.
He added that MDAs should be advised to issue financial reports on time to enable completion of annual audit and publishing of result on time, noting that sanctions should be introduced for inordinate delays.
He said, “The infractions established constitute the risks and building blocks for the inefficient public expenditure and pervasive corruption that bedevil our public finance.
“The continuity of these infractions challenges our professed political will to deal with impunity characterised by disobedience of laws and regulations.
“This is an existential threat to the nation and it has already negatively impacted stability and development because funds appropriated for major infrastructure and development projects are simply diverted or mismanaged the same way thus diminishing the hope of the people and the plans and programs of government.
“It starts with those of us in this room. This impunity cannot continue ad-infinitum. Nigeria cannot and will not survive it.
“We are at a turning point with a global pandemic whose end is uncertain, reduced public revenue but escalating citizen expectation, youth restiveness, insecurity and lack of or decaying critical infrastructure.
“In all of this government is striving to put money in the right place for the benefit of the people. The least we can do is to ensure that the expectations of the government and the people are met and we get value for money.
“We believe that infractions can no longer be ignored or excused on the pedestal of everyone is doing it.”
He said the ICPC is already investigating and prosecuting a number of egregious cases.
He added, “We have got to the point where we will prosecute without discrimination public officers found with any, including the simplest of infractions, so that we entrench zero tolerance for budget execution inefficiency which breeds corruption.
“The country should no longer slide into poverty if only you will be firm and refuse to tolerate culpability from anyone starting with yourselves.”
He stated that the ICPC will continue to collaborate with all critical stakeholders towards entrenching integrity in the polity and in public finance management.

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Family Accuses Kwara Police of Torturing Man to Death Over Debt, Investigation Underway

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Family Accuses Kwara Police of Torturing Man to Death Over Debt, Investigation Underway

Family Accuses Kwara Police of Torturing Man to Death Over Debt, Investigation Underway

 

The death of 35-year-old Jimoh AbdulQodir Tunji in the custody of the Kwara State Police Command has left his family and the local community in shock, with accusations of police brutality emerging after the man’s tragic passing.

Tunji, a poultry farmer, was allegedly arrested on Friday, December 20, following a petition filed by his employer over an unpaid debt of N220,000. His family has accused police officers of torturing him to death while in custody, a claim that has sparked widespread outrage.

A heartbreaking video surfaced online on Sunday, showing Tunji’s grieving mother and relatives accusing the police of causing his death. In the emotional footage, his mother tearfully cried out, “My son did not kill anyone. He only owed someone. They have killed my son. Please, come to my aid. The police at the headquarters have killed my son. His name was Kadri. He was a good boy in the community. They beat him to death in police custody. They didn’t allow us to see him. Blood was gushing out of his nose.”

In response to the allegations, the Kwara State Police Command released a statement confirming the incident. The police spokesperson, Ejire-Adeyemi Toun, stated that Tunji had been invited by the police on charges of obtaining money by “false pretence” and confirmed that an investigation had already begun to determine the cause of death.

“The Kwara State Police Command is aware of an unfortunate incident that led to the tragic loss of one Mr. Jimoh AbdulQodir, which occurred on December 20, 2024,” the statement read. “The deceased was invited on an alleged case of obtaining money by false pretence to the sum of N220,000. Discreet investigations into this incident have commenced to ascertain the cause. Further developments on the outcome will be communicated as it progresses, as no stone will be left unturned.”

The case has drawn significant attention, as it marks the third time in under five months that the Kwara State Police have been implicated in the death of a suspect. Earlier this year, police officers were accused of causing the deaths of 27-year-old Suleiman Olayinka, an asthmatic patient, and Kwara State Polytechnic student Ishola Abdulqoyum, who was allegedly fatally shot by officers in September.

In a bid to ensure accountability, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, instructed the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) to take over the investigation into Tunji’s death. The IGP expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and reassured the public of a thorough and impartial investigation.

During a meeting with the family on Sunday, the IGP said, “The IGP has ordered the FCID to handle the case with utmost diligence and ensure a conclusive and impartial investigation. He further reassured the family and the general public that the Nigeria Police Force remains committed to upholding the highest standards of accountability, professionalism, and respect for human rights.”

The case has reignited concerns about police brutality in Kwara, as the region grapples with rising incidents of alleged police violence. As the investigation unfolds, the family and the public are closely watching to see if justice will be served.

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Seven Dead in Light Aircraft Crash in Jalisco, Mexico

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Seven Dead in Light Aircraft Crash in Jalisco, Mexico

Seven Dead in Light Aircraft Crash in Jalisco, Mexico

 

At least seven people have died following the crash of a light aircraft in a remote, heavily forested area of Jalisco, western Mexico, local authorities confirmed on Sunday.

The aircraft, a Cessna 207, was en route from La Parota in the neighboring state of Michoacan when it went down. Jalisco Civil Protection reported the crash site was in an area difficult to access, complicating rescue and recovery operations.

In a statement on social media, Civil Protection confirmed that “preliminary reports” from the scene indicated that seven people had died. Their identities have not yet been released, and authorities are working to confirm further details.

The agency also mentioned that a fire at the crash site was extinguished, and risk mitigation efforts were carried out to prevent additional damage. “We are waiting for forensic investigators to arrive to remove the bodies and rule out the presence of other victims,” the statement added.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with authorities working to gather more information on the incident.

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Oriyomi Hamzat Speaks Out on Ibadan Funfair Stampede, Blames Parents for Chaos

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Oriyomi Hamzat Speaks Out on Ibadan Funfair Stampede, Blames Parents for Chaos

 

Media personality Oriyomi Hamzat has broken his silence regarding the tragic stampede that occurred at a funfair event in Ibadan, shifting blame onto parents for the chaotic situation that led to casualties. In a detailed recount of the incident, Hamzat defended Prophetess Naomi, the event organizer, and highlighted the various challenges faced during the event’s preparation and execution.

 

In his statement, Hamzat shared that he had visited the venue the day before the event to inspect the arrangements. During this visit, he underscored the importance of proper security and crowd management. He emphasized the need for efficient ticketing and insisted on printing 5,500 tickets to manage the expected crowd, noting that the audience in Ibadan might behave differently compared to other locations where similar events had been held.

A Safer Tomorrow: Lessons from a Tragic Event

Despite these preparations, things began to spiral out of control early on the event day. By 4 a.m., parents had already started gathering at the venue, even though the program was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. By 5:45 a.m., Hamzat arrived to find blocked roads and scenes of desperation, with mothers throwing their children over the fence in an attempt to secure entry. Tragically, one child died after hitting his head on the ground when his mother threw him over the fence, assuming someone would catch him.

 

Hamzat criticized the parents’ reckless actions, questioning how Prophetess Naomi could be blamed for such behavior. He expressed disbelief that the responsibility for the tragedy was being placed on the shoulders of the event’s organizer, who had made significant efforts to ensure the event’s safety.

“A day before the funfair, I went to inspect the venue to ensure that all the necessary things were in place. Prophetess Naomi was there and she said the place was more spacious than the venue they originally intended to use,” Hamzat explained. “I asked about the security arrangement, and she assured me that security would be on site by 8 a.m. I told her and the team that Ibadan is different from other places and promised to provide 200 boys who would be handing out tickets to the children. Initially, there were no plans to use tickets.”

He continued, recounting his arrival at the venue early in the morning, where he found the situation already deteriorating. “I arrived at 5:45 a.m. and saw a massive crowd. Roads were blocked, and mothers were already throwing their kids over the fence. The event was scheduled to start at 10 a.m., and security wasn’t due until 8 a.m. I began begging everyone to go home, but they wouldn’t listen. By 7 a.m., the stampede had started.”

Hamzat also revealed that despite anticipating 5,000 children, Naomi had rented 7,000 chairs, as he had advised her to make provisions for mothers who would bring their kids. He further criticized the behavior of some parents, with one woman reportedly bringing 19 children to the venue.

“The stampede occurred because of the actions of the parents, not due to any lack of planning by Prophetess Naomi or her team,” Hamzat said. “How can it be Naomi’s fault when over 2,000 mothers threw their children over the fence as early as 4 a.m.?”

The tragedy has raised serious concerns over crowd management and safety at public events, and Hamzat’s statements have sparked a wider conversation about the role of event organizers and parents in ensuring the safety of attendees.

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