After a thorough review of graft cases over the years, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has stated that public sector corruption remains the country’s greatest problem with procurement and contract fraud accounting for 90 percent of Nigeria’s corruption and fraud issues.
Olukoyede said that if contracts and procurement fraud rates are tackled, problems confronting the country including lack of infrastructure could be reduced drastically across Nigeria.
He disclosed this on Friday during a meeting with a delegation of the management team of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) led by its newly-appointed Director General, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, at the corporate headquarters of the EFCC in Abuja.
The anti-graft agency boss further harped on the need for enhanced collaboration between the EFCC and the BPP in many areas, especially in project implementation and monitoring.
“In the EFCC, we handle both private and public sector fraud. When it comes to the public sector, which is one of our major problems in Nigeria, we discovered that contract and procurement fraud takes more than 90 percent of the volume of public sector fraud. And if you look at it, they range from commingling, contract splitting, and all forms of shenanigans all over the place.
“Infrastructure-wise and all other developmental problems are attributable to contract and procurement fraud. It lies with you and with me to make a change. If we can work together, we will be able to leave this country better than we met it.
“So, I like your commitment, the new spirit you have brought into the agency. We are going to work together. We are going to collaborate for the sake of this country and for us to ensure that the 2025 budget is well implemented and executed. There is no hiding place for BPP. And there is no hiding from the EFCC. That’s the truth”.
Earlier in his remarks, Adedokun disclosed that the visit was to assure the EFCC and Nigerians that the Bureau under his leadership was on a mission for a rebirth.
“We are here to reassure you and your team that we are committed to making your job easier. We are here to reassure the 220 million Nigerians that they can go to sleep when it comes to how procurement is being done. We want to see that the EFCC can trust our documents without having to doubt. Documents that you can trust in your decision-making, in your investigation of fraud-related issues and procurement. We are here because we want to be open in terms of what we do and how we do it. We want to give Nigerians the assurance that it’s no longer business as usual. And we have started,” he said.
He further disclosed that he was dedicated to deploying procurement as a tool for good governance in the country.
“I want to see how we can get procurement to deliver good governance to Nigerians. This is a thing I would like to say to Nigerians that every kobo spent in any goods, works, and services was procured with value. This is a thing I want to say to Nigerians, that we may have made some mistakes in the past, but now we think that we are born again in a number of things.”
