ICPC commences probe of contract awards by MDAs

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission(ICPC) is to commence investigations into award of contracts through an audit of financial records of federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs from 2007 to date. The federal Ministry of Education, the National Commission for Colleges of Education, the University of Abuja, the Federal University of Technology Minna, the Education Trust Fund, and the National Universities Commission are among the MDAs to be investigated in the first phase. According to a press release by the Commission’s head of public enlightenment, Mike Sowe, The Commission is to examine and review the due process procedures adopted by the MDAs in the award of contracts, the exercise will inquire into “the budgetary provision, advertisement of tender and composition of the tenders board as well as the tender analysis and selection of bidders”. “ICPC operatives will also establish the approval limit and the appropriation act for each MDA, and study the actual expenditure. The legal status of contractors and ownership of companies will be investigated, as well as evidence of payment of tax and audited accounts of companies”. He added. The ICPC says it is concerned with contracts awarded over and above the benchmark and others awarded without cash backing. “The authority to incur expenditure (AIE) and the enabling act of each MDA as it relates to internally generated revenue (IGR) will be scrutinized”. The Commission is to look into “cases of multiple awards of contracts to a single company, insider trading and abandoned projects. They are to examine all project monitoring and evaluation reports, the Completion certificates and carry out physical inspection of projects executed”. The statement declared that the Commission is to forward its findings to President Goodluck Jonathan; and will prosecute any Chief Executive Officer that breaches the ICPC Act.