In a strategic move to tackle corruption risks associated with government Information Technology (IT) projects, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have established a Joint Task Force on Digital Governance and Anti-Corruption.
The formation of the task force was announced at the ICPC Headquarters in Abuja following a high-level courtesy call by the Director General of NITDA to the ICPC Chairman. Both agencies noted that the joint effort will strengthen the enforcement of the IT Project Clearance mandate, ensuring that technology serves as an effective tool for public service delivery.
The collaboration underscores both agencies’ determination to align their mandates with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. This initiative supports the directive to build a $1 Trillion economy powered by digital transformation, ease of doing business, and the elimination of corruption as a barrier to growth.
Over the past two decades, billions of naira have been lost to failed or abandoned government IT projects. Many Federal Public Institutions (FPIs) have procured technological solutions without proper clearance, leading to a host of problems:
- Duplication of efforts and inflated costs.
- Weak technical standards and interoperability issues.
- Total project failure or abandonment after partial implementation.
A number of these projects—some worth billions individually—have not only failed to deliver value to citizens but have also become avenues for corruption through contract splitting, the use of unregistered contractors, and the deliberate circumvention of due process. This pattern has wasted scarce public resources and eroded public trust in the government’s ability to digitize services and improve transparency.
The NITDA IT Project Clearance process was designed specifically to address these risks by ensuring that government IT projects are properly vetted, aligned with national standards, interoperable, and provide value for money.
However, compliance has remained a significant challenge, with some FPIs and contractors attempting to bypass the process. This non-compliance has been identified by the ICPC as a major corruption risk that requires vigorous enforcement and prosecution, which the new Joint Task Force is mandated to provide.