ICPC discovers illegal recruitments in federal establishments
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Up to 257 duplicated federal projects worth N20.138 billion have been discovered in the 2021 by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
ICPC Chairman Bolaji Owasanoye, who made the disclosure, also said the Labour and Employment Ministry and the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, are among federal establishments being investigated for illegal recruitments.
Owasanoye spoke at the third National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in Public Sector in Abuja. But the ministry countered that the ICPC is merely “rehashing an old development” which investigation should have been completed.
He said the ICPC tracked 1,083 projects across the country, excluding Borno and Zamfara, and ensured the completion of 966 worth N310 billion.
“ICPC review found that 257 projects amounting to N20.138 billion were duplicated in the 2021 budget leading us to submit an advisory to the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning which promptly acted on it to prevent abuse.
“We have so far initiated enforcement actions against 67 contractors and forced them back to site and ensured completion of 966 projects worth N310 billion some of which were hitherto abandoned,” he explained, per reporting by The Nation.
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Corruption raises the cost of governance
Owasanoye insisted that illegal recruitments, unilateral and illegal increase of salaries and wages, procurement malpractices, and budget padding by government establishments have increased the cost of governance.
He said the commission uncovered a syndicate that issues fake letters of employment to people, fraudulently enrolls them on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and posts them to ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
The ICPC is prosecuting one of the leaders of the syndicate arrested in possession of fake letters of recommendation purportedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Ministers, Federal Civil Service Commission, and other high-ranking individuals.
“ICPC investigation of some cases of illegal recruitment forwarded to us by Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has so far implicated Ministry of Labour and the University College Hospital, Ibadan and a number of corrupt staff of other MDAs at a lower level.
“This abuse of power is consummated with the complicity of compromised elements in IPPIS. These cases are currently under investigation.
“Our findings indicate that the same malady of corruption afflicts executive as well as zip projects thus undermining government projections, escalating the cost of governance, and denying Nigeria value for money.
“These maladies include poor needs assessment that disconnects projects from beneficiaries, false certification of uncompleted contracts as completed, deliberate underperformance of contracts, incessant criminal diversion, and conversion of public property by civil servants, to name just a few.”
Owasanoye described as mini-wars, the engagement between boards and managements of some establishments.
“A number of MDAs have mini-civil wars going on between the boards and managements and sometimes within the board. These squabbles revolve around abuse of power prohibited by ICPC Act and unreasonable demands by some board members for privileges.”
He commended the government’s posture against illicit financial flows.
He gave figures of ICPC Ethics Compliance scorecard of MDAs, saying only 34 per cent of the 360 establishments scaled above average.
Labour Ministry clarifies allegation
Labour Ministry Press and Public Relations Deputy Director, Charles Akpan, explained that the Minister, Chris Ngige, reported illegal recruitment when he was re-appointed in August 2019.
“There was illegal recruitment perpetrated between May 29, 2019, and August 2019 when the President dissolved his first-term cabinet and … Ngige was temporarily out of office,” Akpan recounted.
“However, upon re-appointment and resumption of duties as the Minister of Labour and Employment in August 2019, Ngige discovered the illegality and promptly raised it at the Federal Executive Council, necessitating a preliminary investigation by the office of the Head of Service of the Federation.
“The minister subsequently empaneled an internal investigative committee in the ministry to unearth how 752 senior and 532 junior staff members were recruited without ministerial and Head of Civil Service of the Federation approval.
“Unfortunately, the activities of the committee were stalled by the then Permanent Secretary who claimed that the ICPC has stepped into the matter.
“The onus, therefore, lies squarely on the ICPC to break the syndicate which the minister appropriately reported first at the Federal Executive Council and [was] subsequently taken over by the ICPC since two and half years ago.
“This is the right step instead of rehashing an old development and singling out for bad publicity, a ministry whose minister decided to blow the whistle on fraud as the Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Salaries saddled with the responsibility of bringing down undue personnel cost, especially via illegal recruitment.”
