The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu (SAN), has disclosed how the commission recently stopped the illegal diversion of N1.6 billion in public funds through the use of technology.
Aliyu shared this information while hosting Khalil Halilu, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), during a courtesy visit at ICPC’s headquarters. According to him, the agency has been upgrading its approach to match the evolving nature of corruption.
“We cannot fight corruption without being smart. We know the increasing use of technology in committing corrupt acts, but we are also leveraging the same technology to fight back. Because of the deployment of technological tools, we were able to block N1.6bn that could have been stolen,” Aliyu said, as quoted in a statement by the ICPC’s spokesperson, Demola Bakare.
Although the specific ministry or government office involved in the blocked fund was not named, the ICPC boss noted that it was a recent incident. He stated that modern tools and systems have made it possible to trace suspicious financial transactions faster and more accurately.
Aliyu noted that corruption in Nigeria is becoming more sophisticated with the help of technology. However, he added that the ICPC is turning the tide by using the same tools for oversight and prevention.
During the meeting, he called for a strategic partnership between the ICPC and NASENI. He proposed forming a Joint Innovation Task Team to identify shared goals and explore how the two bodies can work together on transparency-focused technology.
“First, I would like us to collaborate in the tracking of public funds and procurement processes. Seventy to eighty per cent of corruption happens in the area of procurement. Second, we need to design a secure whistleblower platform, because we cannot fight corruption without access to information,” Aliyu said.
He further pledged the commission’s support to help NASENI improve its internal Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit. This, he said, would ensure that anti-graft standards are maintained within NASENI’s operations.
In response, Halilu expressed confidence in the collaboration. He said NASENI is ready to contribute by offering technical expertise and helping to design digital solutions that limit fraud and improve public accountability.
“We are keen to extend our partnership to the ICPC. We would be happy to share our knowledge and experience in this area,” Halilu stated.
