NITDA, ICPC Set Up Joint Task Force to Curb Corruption in Government IT Projects
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have set up a Joint Task Force on Digital Governance and Anti-Corruption to check corruption in government technology projects and ensure strict enforcement of IT Project Clearance across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The development, announced at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, followed a courtesy visit by the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, to the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN.
In a joint statement issued by Hadiza Umar and Anike Adeshina, the Director of Corporate Communications & Media Relations Department of NITDA and Head of Media and Publicity of ICPC after the meeting, both agencies said the initiative was part of efforts to support President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his drive to build a $1 trillion digital economy anchored on transparency, accountability, and efficient service delivery.
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For years, billions of naira have reportedly been lost to failed and abandoned IT projects across the public sector, with several government institutions bypassing NITDA’s project clearance process.
This has led to duplication of projects, inflated contracts, poor technical standards, and in many cases, outright project failure.
The new Task Force, according to the statement, will combine NITDA’s technical oversight role with ICPC’s investigative and prosecutorial powers to ensure accountability and transparency in government IT spending.
Its core mandate includes enforcing mandatory IT Project Clearance for all public institutions, monitoring ongoing IT projects, sanctioning defaulting agencies, and integrating NITDA’s monitoring framework into ICPC’s anti-corruption tools such as the System Study & Review and the Ethics and Integrity Scorecard.
Speaking during the visit, NITDA’s DG, Abdullahi, said the clearance process was designed as a national safeguard to ensure all government IT projects deliver value for money and align with global best practices.
He said, “The IT Project Clearance process tracks government spending, prevents duplication of efforts, promotes synergy among agencies, and ensures the execution of well-conceptualised projects that support Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.”
In his remarks, ICPC Chairman, Dr. Aliyu, described the partnership as a critical step toward tackling corruption in IT procurement, stressing that abuse of digital projects erodes public trust and weakens Nigeria’s economic competitiveness.
He said the Commission would deploy its full statutory powers to enforce compliance and hold both contractors and public officials accountable for violations.
Both leaders agreed that the Joint Task Force would serve as a model for inter-agency collaboration, ensuring that digital transformation efforts in government are transparent, efficient, and free of corruption.
They noted that the move represents a decisive step toward addressing systemic corruption risks in the public sector and ensuring that technology-driven governance delivers real value to citizens in line with President Tinubu’s vision of a modern, competitive economy.
