The Federal Government and its anti-graft agencies have been urged to probe irregularities and corrupt practices in implementing 1,052 solar streetlight projects worth over N762 million in some communities in Borno state.
An investigative report published by the International Center For Investigative Reporting (ICIR) had indicted contractors that were awarded streetlight projects in the local communities of Bayo, Kwaya Kusar, and Shani in Borno State of failing to install over 400 streetlights and the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for supervisory failures.
Participants called for an immediate probe during an anti-corruption radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, on Wednesday in Abuja.
Speaking during the radio programme, ICIR’s Investigative reporter, Muhammad Ali, tasked leading anti-corruption agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to look into the discrepancies in the Borno Streetlight project execution and violation of Public Procurement Act leading to missing streetlights.
Ali, while lamenting that politicians in connivance with contractors were taking advantage of gaps in public procurement to divert projects meant for communities for their personal use, urged that “the government must act fast to ensure the streetlight project is completed.”
Explaining how the contractors failed to implement the streetlight project properly, He said: “The streetlight project was worth N762, 301, 082.14 million and was awarded to contractors in 2021.
“Dunkulu Global Venture was awarded 277 streetlights but installed 230, meaning the company failed to account for the 47 uninstalled solar streetlights.
“The project file of Dunkulu Global Venture at the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development lacked evidence of how the project was executed and did not meet the required documentation standards for payment processing.
“As for Facile Concept Service, they claimed to have fulfilled his part by bringing all 221 solar streetlights to Bayo and that they were installed within Briyel and other wards. However, it remains unclear how these streetlights were distributed and installed because, according to residents, some of them never worked.
“RKK Inspire Service Limited did not execute a streetlight project in Shani from our findings. Two hundred seventy-seven solar streetlights were installed on paper. Interestingly, records of the Open Treasury Portal show that RKK Inspire Service Limited was paid over N202 million in February 2022. When we visited the communities marked for the project on July 1, 2024, there was nothing on the ground to show that the contractor even mobilized to the site,” Ali revealed.
On his part, BudgIT’s State Officer for Tracka, Garba Abdullahi, described the reported corruption in the implementation of streetlight projects in Borno communities as unfortunate while noting that the development reflects the existing flawed public procurement system in the country.
Abdullahi called on the EFCC and ICPC to immediately beam their searchlight on the report while insisting that government agencies must ensure strict adherence to the Public Procurement Act by contractors.
He lauded PRIMORG and TheICIR for amplifying the corruption report, urging citizens to support anti-corruption agencies with information track and recover public projects mishandled by contractors.
Abdullahi said: “It’s so unfortunate that in Nigeria today, we are still not getting it right in this act of public funded projects, and I think the anti-corruption agencies must be alerted and should act.
“The ICPC and EFCC should put more effort into tackling these issues. The ICPC is doing a great job with that, but they cannot do it alone. They need citizens to help them report such cases.
“Whenever we discover issues like these, as BudgIT, we write to the ministry, to ICPC mostly and the EFCC the ministry and inform the citizens. We tell the citizens so that they can confront their representatives with their votes. I encourage the ICIR to write to these agencies and the public. If they do, there will be a solution to that.
“People need to be involved. The Procurement Act is supposed to be followed according to how it is stated. But, sadly, somebody with a detailed certificate seeking contracts will submit a bill of quantity proposal for the project. Still, MDAs will dump it because they don’t know you or are not related to you,” Ali lamented.
He expressed disapproval of those calling for the scrapping of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), describing it as the handiwork of corrupt elements in the society.
The Supreme Court has scheduled October 22 to hear a suit filed by 16 state governments challenging the legality of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program PRIMORG uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.
The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation.