The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), on Thursday, revealed that the N13.59 trillion 2021 budget was padded by the various ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) with duplicated projects totalling N300 billion.
The anti-graft agency also disclosed that project duplication totalling N100 billion was also inserted into the 2022 budget by some MDAs asides N49.9 billion tracked as salary for ghost workers between January and June this year.
The startling revelations were made by ICPC chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye during an interface with the Senate committee on finance in preparation for the 2023 budget.
According to the ICPC boss, the N300 billion duplicated projects in the 2021 budget and N100 billion in the 2022 budget were tracked thoroughly scrutinisation carried out on approved projects for the various MDAs.
“N300 billion would have been wasted by the Federal Government on duplicated projects inserted into the 2021 budget and N100 billion for the same purpose in the current fiscal year if not tracked and intercepted by the ICPC.
“The same pre-emptive move saved the country from spending N49.9 billion as salaries for ghost workers put on fictitious payroll by the fraudulent MDAs between January and June this year.
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“Names of MDAs involved in project duplications running into intercepted billions of naira and fictitious payrolls, are available and will be forwarded to the committee.
“The good thing about the pre-emptive moves made by us is that monies for the fraudulent acts were prevented from being released to the affected MDAs and it is gratifying that the finance ministry and the accountant-general office cooperated with us,” he said.
He advised relevant committees of the National Assembly to be on the look out for such project duplication in the proposed N19.76 trillion 2023 budget.
“From our own end, detection of such projects are done by verifying their locations and names, upon which we tell the appropriate authorities not to release wrongly budgeted monies for them”, he added.
Impressed by the submission, the committee through its chairman, Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (APC Lagos West), said the operational cost of the agency will be increased from N1.8 billion in the coming 2023 budget.
“This committee is impressed by the proactive ways your commission is adopting in the fight against corruption.
“Your submissions clearly show that all hope is not lost for our dear country as far as fighting corruption is concerned.
“Your operational cost which is N1.8 billion will be increased as required for more proactive measures against corrupt practices across the various MDAs”, he said.
