The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in collaboration with Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) have set up a Joint Task Force (JTF) for IT projects clearance compliance.
The JTF will also ensure ICT investments deliver value to citizens.
The announcement was made on Monday in a statement jointly issued by Mrs Hadiza Umar, Director, Corporate Communications, NITDA and Dr Anike Adeshina, Head, Media ICPC.
The JTF is on Digital Governance and Anti-Corruption and aim to tackle corruption risks associated with government IT projects.
It is also expected to strengthen enforcement of the IT Project Clearance mandate and ensure that technology become a tool for service delivery.
The decision underscores the determination of both agencies to align their mandates with the Renewed Hope Agenda that target building a one trillion dollar economy driven by digital transformation and ease of doing business.
According to the duo, over the past two decades, billions of naira have been lost to either failed or abandoned government IT projects.
”Many Federal Public Institutions (FPIs), have procured technological solutions without proper clearance, leading to duplication of efforts, inflated costs, weak technical standards and in many cases, total project failure.
”A number of these projects often worth billions of naira individually, have either failed to deliver value to citizens or were abandoned after partial implementation.
”Others have become avenues for corruption through contract splitting, use of unregistered contractors, and deliberate circumvention of due process.”
They added that this pattern had not only wasted scarce public resources but also eroded public trust in the government’s ability to digitise services, improve transparency and reduce the cost of governance.
”The NITDA’s IT Project Clearance process was designed to address risks by ensuring that government IT projects were properly vetted, aligned with national standards, avoid duplicity and provide value for money.
”Compliance to this process has remained a challenge with some FPIs and contractors attempting to bypass the process.
”This non-compliance has been identified by ICPC as a corruption risk that requires enforcement.
”The Joint Task Force will therefore serve as an enforcement mechanism, combining NITDA’s technical oversight role with ICPC’s investigative and prosecutorial powers,” they said.
They revealed that part of the mandates of the JTF include ensuring that all FPIs secured clearance before commencing on technology projects, enforcement when clearance guidelines are violated and sanctioning defaulting FPIs among other functions.
They quoted the Director-General of NITDA, Malam Kashifu Inuwa as saying that IT project clearance safeguard national assets, helped to track spending on IT projects and avoid FPIs implementing projects in silos.
”The IT clearance regulation is designed to ensure that IT projects are properly conceptualised and executed in line with global best practices, ensuring value-for-money investments, reducing duplication and creating a unified digital government,” he said.
The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, on his part, reiterated that corruption in IT procurement undermined both public trust and economic progress.
He emphasised ICPC’s readiness to use its statutory powers to support NITDA’s mandate and hold both contractors and public officials accountable.
The initiative is expected to ensure that Nigeria’s digital transformation efforts delivered real value to citizens and support the President’s vision of a modern, transparent, and competitive economy.
