The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has launched a nationwide audit of 760 federal road projects worth more than N36 trillion, in what it described as a major push to strengthen accountability in Nigeria’s infrastructure spending.
The exercise, carried out in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Works, was announced in a statement on Monday by ICPC spokesperson John Odey.
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According to the commission, the review began on 14 November and involved joint monitoring teams comprising ICPC investigators, engineers from the ministry and independent experts from professional bodies, including the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS).
The statement explained that the teams have been deployed to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to conduct physical verification and performance assessments of the projects.
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The ICPC said the initiative is designed to improve fiscal governance, check procurement abuses, enforce contractor accountability and recover public funds from inflated or non-performing contracts.
It said the fieldwork will cover site inspections, scrutiny of project records and evaluation of contractors’ adherence to specifications. Findings from state teams will be consolidated into a national audit expected to highlight compliance levels and flag irregularities for enforcement action.
“This exercise represents a proactive, system-driven approach to safeguarding our national infrastructure investments,” the Commission stated.
“Tracking 760 projects of this magnitude underscores our resolve to partner with government institutions in closing leakages, promoting accountability, and ensuring that public projects translate into tangible public good.”
Not the first time
The ICPC has tracked projects under its Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative (CEPTI) since 2019
Previous phases of the ICPC’s project-tracking programme uncovered diversion of materials, abandoned constituency projects and inflated costs, leading to multiple recoveries.
Reports by the Auditor-General have cited persistent irregularities in federal road contracts, including overpricing, poor supervision and non-compliance with procurement processes.
The launch of the new audit comes amid increased federal infrastructure spending under the Renewed Hope agenda, which has drawn calls for stronger value-for-money safeguards.
Nigeria also continues to struggle with a backlog of more than 11,000 abandoned public projects, a problem that has cost the country trillions of naira over the years.
Procurement oversight bodies, including the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), have repeatedly warned about contract splitting, non-competitive awards and falsified claims — issues analysts believe the new tracking exercise could help address.
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