By Francis Wilfred

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called for stronger collaboration among Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies to combat procurement and contract fraud, describing it as the largest source of public sector corruption in the country.

Olukoyede made the call during a strategic roundtable meeting at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday. The meeting brought together the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Adamu Aliyu; the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Abdullahi Usman Bello; and the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Adebowale Adedokun.

According to a statement signed by EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the meeting was aimed at developing a stronger framework for collaboration among the EFCC, ICPC, CCB and BPP in tackling corruption, economic crimes and financial misconduct.

Speaking at the meeting, Olukoyede said procurement and contract fraud account for more than 80 per cent of corruption cases in Nigeria’s public sector.

He noted that curbing procurement fraud would significantly improve the economy, healthcare, social development and public service delivery.

The EFCC chairman stressed that anti-corruption efforts should focus not only on prosecuting offenders but also on preventing fraud through stronger risk management systems. He explained that the BPP, as the regulator of public procurement, possesses technical expertise needed by law enforcement agencies to effectively investigate procurement-related offences.

According to him, closer collaboration between the BPP and anti-graft agencies would help detect irregularities early, strengthen oversight and reduce opportunities for corruption.

Olukoyede also observed that several provisions of the Public Procurement Act remain underutilised and could enhance anti-corruption efforts if fully implemented.

He advocated joint investigations, collaborative project monitoring, enhanced intelligence sharing and regular capacity-building programmes among the agencies.

The EFCC chairman further proposed the development of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to clearly define the responsibilities of participating institutions while ensuring confidentiality in information management.

He disclosed that the agencies plan to hold similar meetings every quarter to review progress and strengthen their coordinated response to corruption.

Supporting the initiative, ICPC Chairman Musa Adamu Aliyu said stronger cooperation among anti-corruption agencies would boost public confidence in the government’s anti-corruption drive.

He noted that corruption petitions are often submitted to multiple agencies, resulting in duplication of efforts and operational inefficiencies.

Aliyu called for technology-driven solutions to facilitate information sharing and eliminate overlaps in investigations, while urging agencies to continue referring cases outside their statutory mandates to the appropriate institutions.

The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Abdullahi Usman Bello, described corruption as a major obstacle to national development, revealing that trillions of naira have been lost to corrupt practices over the years.

He identified procurement fraud as one of the biggest challenges confronting the public sector and called for stronger collaboration among the CCB, EFCC, ICPC and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to enhance intelligence gathering and enforcement.

In his presentation, BPP Director-General Adebowale Adedokun stressed the need for sustained public procurement reforms.

He warned that weak procurement systems often lead to waste, cost overruns, abandoned projects, substandard infrastructure and widespread corruption.

Adedokun maintained that the most effective anti-corruption strategy is to build procurement systems that prevent wrongdoing before it occurs.

He identified legal and institutional reforms, stronger governance and accountability, strategic procurement, digital procurement and improved market operations as key measures for promoting transparency and efficiency in public procurement.

Participants also examined challenges including procurement without cash backing, abuse of procurement laws and deliberate violations of established procedures, agreeing that sustained inter-agency collaboration is essential to addressing the problems.