society

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

Published

5 years ago

February 19, 2021

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.

society

Police Officers Detained as Family Property Dispute Sparks Demolition Controversy in Lagos

Published

3 days ago

June 2, 2026

Sahara Weekly

Police Officers Detained as Family Property Dispute Sparks Demolition Controversy in Lagos

By Ifeoma Ikem

A property dispute within the Omotayo-Ojo family has taken a dramatic turn following a controversial demolition exercise at a residential building in Ikosi-Ketu, Lagos State, which reportedly left tenants displaced and led to the detention of some police officers allegedly involved in the operation.

The property, located at 23B Loveall Street, Ikosi-Ketu, has been the subject of a prolonged ownership tussle since the death of its owner, Chief Oludola Omotayo Ojo, the Babaalaje of Imesi-Ile, Osun State, in 2019.
Residents said tension erupted when a group of individuals, accompanied by security operatives, stormed the premises and commenced demolition activities.

According to eyewitnesses, portions of the building were pulled down while tenants rushed to salvage their belongings from affected apartments.

The residents alleged that windows, doors and roofing sheets were damaged during the exercise, exposing parts of the building to the elements and causing significant losses to occupants.

At the centre of the dispute is Mrs Mojisola Omotayo Ojo Alolagbe, who claimed that the property was allocated to her by her late father during his lifetime as a source of financial support.

She alleged that some family members had persistently challenged her ownership claim despite ongoing legal proceedings relating to the administration of the deceased’s estate.
Alolagbe further claimed that the latest incident was part of a series of attempts to wrest control of the property, citing previous cases of alleged vandalism and partial demolition in November 2025, January 2026 and February 2026.

The situation escalated further when reports emerged that police officers allegedly involved in the demolition were later apprehended and conveyed in a Black Maria vehicle over questions surrounding the legality of their participation in the operation.

Sources familiar with the matter said those behind the demolition had initially claimed to be acting on approval from the Lagos State Ministry of Lands. However, the authenticity and extent of such approval could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

The development has generated concern among residents and community members, who questioned the involvement of security personnel in what they described as a civil matter.

Some tenants, who said they had recently renewed their tenancy agreements, lamented the destruction of their property and appealed to the authorities for protection and possible compensation.

They also called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the demolition, insisting that the rights of all parties involved should be protected.
Stakeholders have urged the Lagos State Government, security agencies and the judiciary to intervene and ensure that the dispute is resolved through lawful means to prevent further escalation.

The controversy has continued to draw public attention, raising concerns over property rights, estate administration and the role of law enforcement agencies in civil disputes.

society

UKA Gears Up for Final ATC Exchangeability Test Run as June Preparations Begin

Published

6 days ago

May 30, 2026

Sahara Weekly

UKA Gears Up for Final ATC Exchangeability Test Run as June Preparations Begin.

May 30, 2026 – As the month of June gathers momentum, the *United Kingdom of Atlantis, UKA*, a sovereign nation has unveiled a series of vital guidelines and preparatory packages to ensure citizens and stakeholders run the *ATC Exchangeability* process effectively.

In an official update, the *President of Atlantic Crown Limited, Empress of Attica Empire UKA*, confirmed that the *Final Test Run of ATC Exchangeability* is scheduled for the month of June 2026. The exercise marks a key phase ahead of the *Official Exchangeability Window, set to run from July 2026 to February 2027*.

### Key Highlights from the Presidential Briefing
1. *Final Test Run – June 2026*
The test run is designed to validate systems, procedures, and user readiness before full activation. Citizens, partners, and designated participants are urged to follow all official advisories released by UKA authorities during this period.

2. *Official Exchangeability Period*
Following the successful completion of the June test run, the Official Exchangeability will commence in july 2026 and we are Expecting Full Exchange ability between July Ending, 2026 to February 2026.

UKA stated that detailed schedules, eligibility requirements, and step-by-step instructions will be communicated progressively through verified UKA channels.

3. *Benefiting Packages for June*
In line with UKA’s commitment to citizen empowerment, the month of June will feature “benefiting packages” aimed at education, preparation, and seamless onboarding. These packages are intended to equip the people of UKA with the knowledge and tools needed for effective participation.

4. *Commitment to Transparency*
Addressing the nation, the Empress of Attica Empire UKA emphasized:
_“Final Test Run of ATC Comes up in The Month of June, As We Prepare For The Official Exchangeability, Between July 2026 To Feb 2027. All Information Will Be Communicated.”_
UKA reaffirmed that only information released through official UKA platforms should be regarded as authoritative.

The United Kingdom of Atlantis is encouraging all citizens, representatives, and interested parties to remain alert to official communications, attend designated orientation sessions, and avoid unofficial sources. UKA’s dedication to order, clarity, and the collective benefit of its people as the nation moves into this significant phase.

For updates, advisories, and participation guidelines, citizens are advised to monitor official UKA communication channels.

United Kingdom of Atlantis, UKA, is a sovereign nation, committed to national development, citizen welfare, and structured economic participation through initiatives such as ATC Exchangeability.

society

Three Years On, General Buratai Hails Tinubu’s Economic, Security Achievements

Published

6 days ago

May 30, 2026

Sahara Weekly

Three Years On, General Buratai Hails Tinubu’s Economic, Security Achievements

Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as bold economic reforms and improved security efforts as the President marks three years in office.

In a goodwill message on Thursday to commemorate Tinubu’s third anniversary as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Buratai said the administration had taken courageous decisions that would leave a lasting impact on Nigeria’s development.

According to him, President Tinubu broke a long-standing cycle that had hindered national growth by removing fuel subsidy and implementing foreign exchange reforms aimed at stabilising the naira and strengthening the economy.

He noted that the reforms were beginning to yield positive results, citing the global acceptance of Nigerian debit cards, the gradual revival of local refineries, access to student loans, and ongoing road and infrastructure projects across the country.

“The FCT Administration has also recorded remarkable progress, completing major road projects that remained unfinished for over 16 years,” Buratai stated.

The former army chief also praised the administration’s security efforts, saying renewed military offensives against insurgents, terrorists and bandits had led to notable successes across various parts of the country.

He specifically lauded recent joint operations involving Nigerian and United States forces against Boko Haram and ISWAP in the North-East, as well as intensified counter-banditry operations in the North-West.

“We have seen notorious ISWAP commanders being neutralised. I congratulate the Commander-in-Chief, the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and heads of intelligence agencies for their efforts,” he said.

Buratai, however, acknowledged that challenges remained, stressing the need for more aggressive military operations and intelligence-driven strategies in the coming year.

While urging Nigerians to remain hopeful, he said celebrating the President’s achievements did not amount to ignoring the difficulties facing the nation.

“Because you truly care, you have shown the courage to trade short-term comfort for long-term hope. Nigerians need your reassurances, and that is why we remain optimistic and full of confidence,” he added.

The retired military officer reaffirmed his support for the Tinubu administration and expressed confidence that the foundation being laid by the government would deliver a brighter future for the country.

He also prayed for God’s guidance, wisdom, strength and good health for the President as he continues to lead Nigeria.