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Nigeria loses over $200bn to corruption, procurement irregularities — McArthur Foundation
The MacArthur Foundation has said that a staggering sum of over $200 billion is estimated to have been lost in Nigeria between 1970 and 2008 due to widespread corruption and procurement irregularities.
According to the Foundation, the massive financial haemorrhage occurred through various channels, including inflated contracts, dubious asset disposals, and outright theft of resources, reports The Guardian.
Deputy Director for Nigeria at the MacArthur Foundation, Amina Salihu, made the revelation in Abuja yesterday at a high-level town hall meeting to commemorate the 2024 International Anti-Corruption Day.
The Guardian reports that the meeting, aimed at addressing systemic challenges in Nigeria’s public procurement processes, was organized by Accountability Lab Nigeria in partnership with the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
The event, themed “Tackling Procurement Fraud and Its Far-Reaching Consequences: A Collective Responsibility,” brought together government officials, civil society organisations, private sector representatives, and international development partners.
Salihu underscored the importance of ensuring transparency, competition, and integrity in the country’s procurement processes.
She said, “So it seems our work is never going to be done because that is a potential area where we can meet the needs of citizens. It is also the potential area where our country, and also our continent, is haemorrhaging our lifeblood because these resources actually are life’s work, and it’s our lifeblood.
“And you know, whenever you look up these things, you get all kinds of different statistics that trouble you. Between 1970 and 2008, over $200 billion was lost in Nigeria through procurement, through inflated contracts, through asset disposals that are not very straightforward, through resources that have been hidden under the table.”
She stressed the need for effective regulation and oversight to prevent corruption and ensure that resources are allocated efficiently.
She also acknowledged the importance of collaboration between government, civil society, and the private sector to promote transparency and accountability.
According to her, corruption in Nigeria’s procurement process has severe consequences, including the diversion of resources meant for essential public services.
On his part, the Country Director of Accountability Lab, Friday Odeh, lamented that Nigeria’s public service is plagued by a significant lack of accountability.
He noted that this accountability gap has led to rampant abuse of procurement processes and blatant misuse of public resources, resulting in substantial financial and temporal losses for the country.
He said the absence of accountability enables corruption, allowing public officials to exploit resources for personal gain rather than serving the nation’s best interests.
“Currently, public procurement processes are carried out without transparency, such as unpublished procurement information, which leaves citizens in the dark about how decisions are made and deprives them of the chance to track the progress of projects,” he said.
The UNODC Representative, Maximilian Menhard, said the International Anti-Corruption Day offers a crucial opportunity to raise awareness about procurement fraud, commit to integrity in public procurements, and agree on relevant follow-up actions.
He said: “Corruption In public procurement has profoundly negative impacts on government spending, undermining market competition, and impeding economic and sustainable development. It leads to governments paying inflated prices, often resulting in substandard goods and services, a lack of accountability, and an erosion of public trust.
“A procurement system lacking transparency, competition, and integrity is fertile ground for corrupt behaviour, and while implementing a public procurement system based on these principles can be challenging.”
Lucy Abagi, CEO of the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), revealed that a recent report by her organisation exposed significant transparency gaps in Nigeria’s public procurement processes.
The report found that over 56% of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests for procurement information went unresponded to, highlighting the challenges citizens face in accessing such data.
She said this lack of transparency undermines accountability and trust in government, enabling corruption and inefficiency to persist.
All 13 passengers abducted along the Makurdi–Otukpo road in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State have been successfully rescued.
The victims were reportedly freed in the early hours of Sunday, following what sources described as a coordinated effort.
Meanwhile, official confirmation and operational details are still being awaited at the time of filing this report.
The abduction had earlier raised concerns among residents and commuters along the busy Makurdi–Otukpo axis, a route that has witnessed sporadic security challenges in recent times.
Security agencies are yet to issue a formal statement on the circumstances surrounding both the abduction and the subsequent rescue.
It also remains unclear whether any arrests were made or if ransom was involved.
Local sources, however, expressed relief over the safe return of the victims, describing the development as a significant breakthrough amid ongoing security concerns in the area.
The spokesperson of the Benue state Police command, DSP Udeme Edet could not be reached to confirm the story as at the time of filing this report.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced the arrest of two candidates and a parent for allegedly falsifying the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results using Artificial Intelligence and other electronic tools.
The announcement was made on Friday as the board released the results of 632,788 candidates who sat for the examination on Thursday, April 16.
In a statement issued by JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, the suspects were apprehended for tampering with official SMS result notifications to alter or fabricate scores with the intention of deceiving others, including parents and guardians.
“Currently, two candidates and one parent are in custody for engaging in result falsification using AI and other electronic means,” the statement said.
Benjamin emphasized that such actions constitute serious criminal offences and warned that the board would ensure that all those involved are prosecuted in accordance with the law.
He further cautioned candidates against interfering with result messages sent through JAMB’s official SMS platforms, 55019 and 66019.
Candidates who took the examination on Thursday can check their results by sending “UTMERESULT” via SMS to 55019 or 66019 using the phone number linked to their registration. Printing of official result slips is not yet available but will be enabled later.
The 2026 UTME commenced on April 16 and is scheduled to run until April 22 across examination centres nationwide. Results will continue to be released in batches as the exercise progresses.
News
How NDLEA operatives uncovered cocaine, loud in food flasks, snacks, nabs fashion designer, others(Photos)
. Raids Edo, Cross River forests, destroys over 17,000kg skunk; recovers large consignments in Lagos, Delta, Kaduna operations
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 12 large parcels of cocaine concealed in false bottom of food flasks heading to the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic Airline flight from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos.
The cocaine consignment with a gross weight of 2.80 kilograms was intercepted on Thursday 9th April 2026 by NDLEA operatives attached to the export shed of the Lagos airport while two cargo agents involved in the export bid: Ama Obinna Ufeim, 33, and Ogabi Monday Akorede, 39, were swiftly arrested. Further investigation revealed a 52-year-old freight and forwarding agent Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola as the sender of the consignment and he was arrested in a follow-up operation.
In a similar operation, NDLEA officers at the import shed of the Lagos airport on Wednesday 8th April intercepted a consignment of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, with a gross weight of 2.90 kilograms and concealed in snack food packs, which arrived from the United States of America aboard a Delta Airlines flight.
Two cargo clearing agents: Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun, were initially arrested in connection with the seizure before the consignee, Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, was nabbed in a follow-up operation at 3 Oba Ogunji road, Ogba, Lagos, on Monday 13th April.
In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Kaduna-Zaria highway by Gwargwaje Zaria on Monday 13th April intercepted a trailer conveying cement heading to Hadeja in Jigawa state. A search of the truck led to the recovery of 760 blocks and 33 jumbo bags of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 847 kilograms. The truck driver Umar Garba Haruna, 33, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
A 53-year-old female suspect, Alice Sunday Udoh, was arrested on Thursday 16th April when NDLEA officers supported by soldiers raided a forest in Uwet community, Akamkpa LGA, Cross River state, where 15,000 kilograms of skunk on six hectares of farmland were destroyed and 119kg of same substance recovered.
Another cannabis farm was raided on Tuesday 14th April at Saboro camp, Ovia North East LGA, Edo state where NDLEA operatives destroyed 2,281.43kg of same psychoactive substance, while three suspects: Nweke Smart, 27; Christopher Egbe, 62; and Monday Ayan, 45, were arrested, with the duo of Christopher and Monday caught with 38.5kg cannabis and its seeds. Two suspects: Sunday Odili, 49, and Ijenebe Joshua, 39, were nabbed with 87.838kg skunk and seeds at Powerline area of Okwo, Delta state on Friday 17th April.
In Lagos, two suspects: Chinedu Ogbekene and Zindozin Aloukou Bienvenu were arrested on Wednesday 15th April at Mile 2, Lagos/Badagry expressway while conveying 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injection in a truck to Ghana. Same day, NDLEA operatives raided a two-storey building at Petti, Lagos Island, where a total of 95.8kg skunk was recovered.
With the same zeal, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Alfurgan Islamic School, Paiko, Niger state;
Edgerly Memorial Girls Secondary School, Calabar, Cross River; Heritage Model School, Ankpa, Kogi; Government Day Junior and Senior Secondary School, Kankia, Katsina; Government Senior Secondary School, Rano, Kano, and De Ambassador Secondary School, Epe, Lagos state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Edo, Delta, Cross River, Kaduna, and Lagos Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitization activities while he charged them and their compatriots across the country to maintain the current tempo.
All 13 kidnapped Otukpo passengers, successfully rescued
Board cautions candidates after arrest of suspects over doctored UTME scores
How NDLEA operatives uncovered cocaine, loud in food flasks, snacks, nabs fashion designer, others(Photos)
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