ENetSuD drags TIC Ilorin to ICPC over mismanagement of over 27 million naira for projects

The Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD) has dragged the Technology Incubation Center Ilorin (TIC) to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over mismanagement of over 27 million naira for Federal Government capital projects in Kwara State (read Petition to ICPC on TIC). The TIC is the state office of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) based in Abuja.

In a petition signed by its Coordinator (Dr. Alagbonsi Abdullateef), ENetSuD told ICPC that “As part of our routine tracking of Federal Government (FG) budget execution under our #FollowKwaraMoney activities, we wrote a Freedom of Information (FOI) letter to the TIC to provide us with the financial and technical details of how the funds released by FG to the center for the execution of 2015 – 2018 projects have been spent. Responding via letters TIC/ILO/NBTI/ADM/S.022/VOL.1 and TIC/ILO/NBTI/ADM/S.044/VOL.1 dated 19^th September and 18^th October, 2019 respectively, the TIC provided us with the relevant documents for 2016 – 2018, while those of 2015 were not provided due to some reasons explained”.

“Consequently, our preliminary report after our investigation revealed that most of the fund released to TIC were mismanaged, in addition to the fact that many contractual terms were not complied with. We forwarded our report to the Agency for a fair hearing, which led the Director-General in Abuja Headquarters to set up an investigative panel (with our representative as a member) to look into our preliminary findings. Since a member of the Board and some senior officials of the TIC were part of the panel and also signed the final report, the unanimously signed report will form the basis of our petition herein. This will avoid any denial or argument by the Agency, and make our petition easily actionable”, ENetSuD told ICPC.

Relying on the panel report, ENetSuD analysed the items that were either not executed or executed below standards by each of the contractors in the years 2016 – 2018, and summarized the mismanaged amount and the contractors involved for the ICPC.

1. Numora Integrated Services Limited that executed the 2016 contract for the renovation / rehabilitation of six (6) existing incubation units did not execute items in the contract worth ₦6,256,470 and got paid for them.
2. Trans-Secure Limited that executed the 2016 contract for the procurement of equipment for product packaging and labelling for commercialization mismanaged ₦9,694,680 meant for the items, as the equipment supplied were not according to specification and are not serving the center since their procurement.
3. The Busar Investment Company that executed the 2016 contract for the procurement of furniture and fittings did supply of almost all of the items, and thus, we do not have any worry on its project.
4. Ubibah Nigeria Limited that executed the 2017 contract for the renovation of existing administrative blocks and incubation units did not execute items in the contract worth ₦3,581,250 and got paid for them.
5. Yeznab Investments and Services Limited that executed the 2017 contracts for the procurement of office furniture and fittings did not execute items in the contract worth ₦1,853,870 and got paid for them.
6. Ubibah Nigeria Limited that executed the 2018 contract for the procurement of product packaging and labelling for commercialization mismanaged ₦6,296,000 meant for the items, as the equipment supplied were not according to specification and are not serving the center since their procurement.

ENetSuD prayed to ICPC to make further investigation and prosecute all persons involved in the mismanagement of public fund. To make the work of ICPC very easy, ENetSuD attached a 69-page document containing the Bill of Quantity, Payment certificates, invoice, approval letter, and other necessary documents detailing how the estimation of the amount mismanaged by each of the contractors in connivance with the TIC was arrived at.

Signed

Usman Radhiyyat Taiye (Mrs),

Deputy Coordinator (Administration),

Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD),

13/11/2020