How inadequate funding affects our operations

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says funding constraints have limited its ability to prosecute all individuals indicted for corruption, despite receiving and acting on petitions against them.

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The ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the commission prioritises cases for prosecution based on available financial resources, noting that inadequate funding has affected investigations and court processes.

Mr Aliyu disclosed on Tuesday when he appeared alongside the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olu Olukoyede, before the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes.

“Some cases take two to five years to conclude. Funding constraints affect travel, document retrieval, forensic tools and manpower. We have to prioritise cases based on available resources,” he explained.

The ICPC chairperson lamented that poor funding has forced some prosecutors to personally cover legal expenses arising from petitions against suspects.

“With adequate funding, infrastructure and manpower, the number of completed investigations will increase. Some lawyers even pay from their pockets to prosecute cases. We prioritise prevention because investigations require significant funds and time. Human capital gaps in state offices also delay investigations.”

Mr Aliyu further disclosed that the morale of ICPC staff was low due to poor welfare, despite the risks associated with their duties.

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“My staff morale is very low. Their welfare is poor, yet they investigate highly sensitive and risky cases. Two days ago, our staff was kidnapped and is still in captivity,” he added.

The ICPC chairman urged lawmakers to improve funding, infrastructure and staff welfare, noting that some state offices still operate from rented facilities.

“Without adequate funding, there is no way this agency can effectively fight corruption. It will also affect Nigeria’s image globally,” he said, promising strict fiscal discipline in the use of funds.

“Our major challenge remains funding. Prosecutors sometimes use their personal money to go to court, and several investigations could not proceed as scheduled because we could not pay service providers,” he said.

Unresolved petitions

Submitting petitions to anti-corruption agencies against individuals, particularly government officials suspected of financial crimes, has become common among civil society organisations advocating accountability and transparency.

However, many of these petitions, often publicised in the media, languish for years without leading to prosecution, while others are never updated.

Although the ICPC maintains that petitions go through investigative and prosecutorial processes, several remain unresolved.

For instance, in 2023, a PREMIUM TIMES investigation exposed how federal lawmakers probing job racketeering extorted money from government agencies to compromise investigations.

This newspaper subsequently petitioned the ICPC, providing details and supporting evidence of the alleged bribery.

The commission acknowledged the petition and said it had commenced an investigation. However, none of the lawmakers implicated has been prosecuted to date.

This represents one of many instances where petitions linger without clear outcomes.

Recoveries and performance

Despite its funding challenges, Mr Aliyu said the ICPC recovered ₦33.1 billion in cash and $1.98 million last year, along with assets such as land, vehicles, and businesses.

He added that the commission filed 72 cases, secured 36 convictions and handled 453 ongoing cases, while processing over 1,100 petitions within the year.

Regarding the commission’s 2025 budget performance, Mr Aliyu said it received ₦10.13 billion out of the ₦10.62 billion appropriated for personnel costs, representing near full performance.

However, releases for overhead and capital expenditure were significantly lower.

“Only ₦2.2 billion out of the ₦7.82 billion overhead allocation was released, representing 28 per cent. For capital expenditure, only ₦449 million out of ₦7.3 billion approved was released, and that came late, on November 28, 2025,” he said.

EFCC raises similar complaints

The EFCC chairman, Mr Olukoyede, also complained of inadequate funding, saying it affected the commission’s operations.

He said only 74 per cent of EFCC’s total appropriation was released in 2025, while capital funding stood at 50 per cent, leaving many contractors and licence providers unpaid.

“Most of our contractors have not been serviced, including licence providers. This will pose a major problem for us going forward because we need those licences to continue our work,” he said.

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Mr Olukoyede disclosed that the EFCC proposed a total budget of about ₦88 billion for 2026, including ₦22.8 billion for capital projects. However, he warned that outstanding liabilities from 2025 could stall new projects.

He also revealed the unpaid severance liabilities of about ₦3 billion for 32 retired officers.

Lawmakers respond

Members of the Senate committee acknowledged the funding challenges facing both anti-corruption agencies and assured them that improved allocations would be included in the 2026 budget.

The committee’s chairman, Emmanuel Udende, said funding for Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies was low compared to what obtains in other countries.

“It is sad that funding for anti-corruption agencies is very poor compared to other countries. We will see what we can do to improve it, “ he said.