In a bid to counter mounting allegations of corruption and mismanagement, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, has invited Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies to conduct a full-scale probe of road projects under his ministry, declaring that “nothing is hidden” in the execution of federal infrastructure contracts.
Umahi revealed that both the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had been formally invited to independently scrutinise not just documentation, but the physical execution of projects across the country.
The minister disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja after receiving a “Personality of the Year” award from Al-Jazeera Newspaper Nigeria. He said the move was a deliberate step to demonstrate transparency and rebuild public trust amid growing public criticisms.
Umahi said, “There have been several allegations and accusations against us, but to show our transparency, we decided to open up the entire Ministry of Works for probe.
“We wrote to ICPC to go round and investigate all our projects, not on paper, but physically. We also wrote to EFCC. We are not hiding anything. Any file they want, any information, is available.”
The minister revealed that the ICPC had already concluded part of its assignment and is currently reviewing procurement processes, while the EFCC is expected to commence its own investigation after the Sallah break.
“Let me tell you something. We wrote to ICPC to go around and investigate all our projects, not on paper, but to go around and investigate the physical accomplishment of what the president is doing. We also wrote to EFCC. Now, ICPC has concluded its own, and we are giving them a space here to check our procurement process.
