The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have launched a Joint Task Force on Digital Governance and Anti-Corruption to curb corruption and enforce compliance in government IT projects.
The task force was inaugurated during a meeting between NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi and ICPC Chairman Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Abdullahi said the collaboration reflects a renewed commitment to align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at building a $1 trillion economy driven by digital transformation and transparency.
He noted that billions of naira have been lost to failed or abandoned government IT projects due to some federal institutions bypassing NITDA’s mandatory clearance process before embarking on technology procurements.
“These lapses have eroded public trust and wasted scarce resources that could have improved service delivery and transparency,” Abdullahi said in a statement by NITDA’s Director of Corporate Communications, Hadiza Umar.
The Director General explained that the IT Project Clearance process was established to prevent duplication, ensure interoperability, and guarantee value-for-money investments across public institutions.
The new task force will combine NITDA’s technical oversight with ICPC’s investigative and prosecutorial powers to enforce compliance and accountability in public ICT investments.
Its core functions include enforcing IT project clearance for all federal agencies, jointly monitoring implementation, sanctioning defaulters, and embedding NITDA’s monitoring tools into ICPC’s anti-corruption frameworks.
Abdullahi described the clearance framework as a safeguard for responsible digital spending and a step toward a unified digital government.
“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 contractors and public officials accountable,” ICPC Chairman Dr Aliyu said.
