The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have established a Joint Task Force on Digital Governance and Anti-Corruption to combat corruption in government IT projects and enforce compliance with Nigeria’s IT Project Clearance policy.

The task force was inaugurated during a meeting between NITDA’s Director General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Abdullahi said the collaboration represents a renewed commitment by both agencies to align their efforts with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda.

He explained that the initiative is in line with the President’s goal of building a $1 trillion economy powered by digital transformation, improved ease of doing business, and the eradication of corruption as a barrier to sustainable development.

The NITDA boss lamented that billions of naira had been lost over the years to failed or abandoned government IT projects, blaming the trend on some Federal Public Institutions (FPIs) that sidestepped the mandatory clearance process before embarking on technology procurements.

He said such practices have led to duplication of projects, inflated costs, poor technical standards, and in many cases, total project failure.

?“These lapses have eroded public trust and wasted scarce resources that could have been deployed to improve service delivery and transparency,” the Director General said in a statement issued by the NITDA’s Director of Corporate Communications and Media, Hajiya Hadiza Umar.

?The NITDA boss said the IT Project Clearance process was designed to prevent such waste and ensure that there is synergy in public investments, projects vetting, interoperability, and delivery of value for money.

?Under the new initiative, the Joint Task Force will merge NITDA’s technical oversight with ICPC’s investigative and prosecutorial powers to ensure full compliance and accountability in public ICT investments.

?Its mandate includes, “Enforcement of IT Clearance: Ensuring all FPIs obtain NITDA’s mandatory IT Project Clearance before commencing any technology-related project, with ICPC enforcing compliance where violations occur.

?”Monitoring and Sanctioning: Jointly tracking IT project implementation and sanctioning defaulting agencies in line with extant regulations, and

?”Integration of Enforcement Tools: Embedding NITDA’s monitoring instruments into ICPC’s anti-corruption frameworks, such as the System Study & Review, Ethics & Integrity Scorecard, and other tools to institutionalize compliance”.

?The NITDA boss further emphasized that the IT Project Clearance framework serves as a national safeguard for responsible digital spending.

? “The IT Clearance Regulation is designed to ensure that government IT projects are properly conceptualized and executed in line with global best practices. It ensures value-for-money investments, reduces duplication, and creates a unified digital government,” he said.

?In his remarks, ICPC Chairman Dr. Aliyu (SAN) hailed the collaboration as timely and essential for Nigeria’s digital future.

?“Corruption in IT procurement undermines both public trust and economic progress. The Commission is ready to deploy its statutory powers to support NITDA’s mandate and hold both contractors and public officials accountable,” he said. (The Nation)