ICT procurement: NITDA, EFCC forge alliance to curb corruption

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), have forged an alliance in order to strengthen the anti-corruption war, especially in the procurement of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products and services among the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government.

This was disclosed recently in Abuja when the Director General of NITDA, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, led the management team of the agency on a working visit to the EFCC Headquarter in Abuja.

Pantami stated that the alliance has become more important in the procurement of ICT products and services as most of the projects pass through less scrutiny during budget defence at the National Assembly because of the expertise required to ascertain the needs and specifications of these IT requirements.

“Many MDAs consider IT projects as conduit pipes to siphon public funds and I believe partnering with EFCC will bring sanity to the sector and by then the commission will be empowering NITDA in strengthening its regulatory function through which it will also be developing and promoting the local content in the IT sector,” the NITDA boss said.

While suggesting the modus operandi of the partnership, Dr Pantami informed that the two organisations could form a working group which would also serve as a desk to deal with sharp practices in the ICT procurement, adding that EFCC may help in asking MDAs to produce procurement clearance issued by NITDA during their investigations.

He said NITDA as ICT regulatory body in the country, the agency is responsible for subjecting ICT products to value-for-money analysis, reduce projects duplication, justify the spending of public funds on ICT projects and to advise MDAs on the alternative options of ICT products and service with a view of reducing cost especially on sharing of software among themselves.

In his remarks, the acting Chairman of the Commission, Mr Ibrahim Magu, who expressed his delight over the visit, said that EFCC as a commission would be complying with NITDA’s request so as to bring some level of sanity to the procurement of ICT products and services among MDAs in Nigeria.