Reps to probe $2bn annual spending on non-existent IT projects

Yakubu Dogara

The House of Representatives has mandated its committees on Public Accounts and Finance to investigate 2 billion dollars annually being spent by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on Information Technology (IT) as alleged by National Information Technology Agency (NITDA).

The matter was sequel to a motion presented by Mr. Iboro Ekanem  (PDP, Akwa Ibom) which referred to a submission by NITDA that the demand by public entities to pursue IT projects has created a means of syphoning public funds by most Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government.

Elkanem also noted that a recent investigation carried out by NITDA showed that many IT projects were riddled with poor conceptualization and without clear sustainability plans, thereby leading to duplication, waste, redundancies, and a conduit pipe to syphon public funds.

“If no attention is given to this matter, it may pave way for corrupt practices to increase among MDAs using Information Communication Technology (ICT) platform as a ground for official theft, breach of trust and misappropriation”, he said.

The motion was unanimously passed and referred to relevant committees for further legislative action.