ICPC Decries Widespread Abandonment Of Government Projects Despite Payment To Contractors

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has expressed concern over the high number of abandoned government projects across Nigeria.

According to ICPC’s secretary, Clifford Oparaoduon, contractors frequently fail to complete projects allocated to them by federal and state governments, despite receiving full payment.

“Every year, the government spends a lot of money in budgetary allocation for projects and these projects are both in the federal, state and even local government and various communities.

“But oftentimes, we find that some people do not really carry out the mandate in the execution of those projects which I obviously think is why we are here, you know, corrupt practices,” said Oparaoduon.

Oparaoduon made these remarks on Wednesday while receiving a delegation from BudgIT Nigeria, a civil society organization that tracks government projects and spending.

He said ICPC will continue to do what is right and ensure that those handling constituency projects carry out their tasks.

In his speech, the Country Representative of BudgiT Nigeria, BudgiT, said the civil society organisation does not only track projects but also pushes for the promotion of participatory governance.

“For us, it is also not just tracking projects, it is indeed to promote participatory governance, which is the art of democracy and one way to promote participatory governance is to make information accessible to citizens,” said Okeowo.