The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mr. Ibrahim Mustapha Magu and the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) have teamed up in a bid to draw out strategies in combating corruption in IT procurement rampant in the public sector.
Consequently, any Federal government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that flout the IT clearance law mandating the NITDA to handle the clearance of all IT procurement by MDAs will be prosecuted by the EFCC.
Dr. Pantami stated that some MDAs repeatedly engage in non-sustainable IT projects as Information Technology is one of the areas repeatedly used to siphon government funds simply because of its complexity. More than N42 billion in the 2017 national budget went into IT procurement with the process facilitated in negligence to the IT procurement laws necessitating getting approval of the NITDA as the IT clearinghouse for the government.
However, the EFCC assured the NITDA that it will have IT procurement by MDAs under scrutiny. Magu gave the assurance for collaboration when he led the EFCC’s management team to a working visit to NITDA’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.
While welcoming EFCC officials, Pantami said the visit was vital to the development of the country, as it would boost the war against corruption in the IT sub-sector and help to save funds for the government.
“Anything you do in the aspect of anti-corruption will surely lead to retaliation by perpetrators, as long as legal is made illegal and legitimate is made illegitimate, it is corruption, more effort is needed to fight such crimes. According to a slogan by the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari which says “If you fight corruption, corruption will fight you back” and the EFCC is working all round to curb the menace of such act, said Pantami.
“As the IT regulatory body and also a clearinghouse for all IT projects and infrastructural development in the country, the Agency solicits EFCC’s support to enforce the IT clearance law to handle the clearance of all IT procurement by MDAs,” added Pantami.
The NITDA Director General also revealed that MDAs come to NITDA to seek IT clearance for their projects and services. The agency through its professionals and experts analyse critically the project to know its authenticity before giving clearance on such project so as to save funds for the government.
In his remarks, Magu stated that the two government organizations have a lot in common, and more need to be learned from each other. “EFCC need the support of every Nigerian in the fight against corruption for the betterment of our future generation because the Commission cannot do it alone. Corruption is the biggest problem in the country” things need to be done the right way, which will curb the menace it has brought upon our country,” he said.
In a similar development the NITDA and Consumer Protection Council (CPC) have formed a working committee to hold providers of products and services accountable in response to the complaints of Nigerians on poor products and services delivery. This collaborative move was taken when the Director General of CPC, Mr. Babatunde Irukera paid a courtesy visit to the Agency headquarters in Abuja.
Mr. Irukera said, “the role of NITDA in the society is to improve technology services to the people” adding that IT controls significant number of human endeavors. He stated the need for a national framework from NITDA which will foster proper discharge of their duties. He also stressed that creating standards will enable CPC full implementation. He further outlined the CPC’s challenge in dealing with cases and appeals related to E-commerce while enjoining all OEMs to upgrade their standards and establish Service Centres in major cities for after sales services.
