The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticised the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for what it called “worrying silence” on the N4 billion budget error in Borno State’s rail project.
In a statement yesterday in Maiduguri, NDC state publicity secretary, Comrade Aliyu Balarabe, said the ICPC’s failure to comment after opposition parties flagged the discrepancy raises questions about its independence.
Balarabe noted that the explanation reportedly attributed to ICPC that it has not acted on the alleged N4 billion Borno rail project controversy because no petition has been received raises serious concerns about the Commission’s understanding of its constitutional and statutory responsibilities.
He said anti-corruption agencies are not passive observers waiting for petitions before acting, stressing that their duty is to protect public resources and investigate credible allegations of corruption whenever such allegations arise in the public domain.
The NEDC Publicity Secretary quoted Section 15(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which provides that:” The State shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.”
This constitutional directive according to him places a responsibility on all anti-corruption institutions to be proactive in combating corruption.
“ Furthermore, the Court of Appeal has already affirmed that ICPC has the legal authority to investigate and prosecute corruption cases even without receiving any petition.
The law does not require the Commission to fold its arms until a formal complaint is submitted.
“’In the Borno rail controversy, the issue emerged from official government budget implementation records which reportedly indicated that ₦4 billion was allocated and marked as completed, only for the state government later to describe the entry as an “administrative error.”
“This development alone raises fundamental questions as to how did a non-existent project appear in an official budget implementation report? Who authorised the entry? What verification process failed? Were public records manipulated? What sanctions have been imposed on those responsible?
“These are questions that deserve investigation in the public interest. The duty of ICPC is not merely to react to petitions but to protect the integrity of public institutions. If official records can indicate 100 percent completion of a project that government later claims never existed, such a matter warrants scrutiny regardless of whether a citizen has filed a petition.
“ Nigerians expect anti-corruption agencies to act on credible evidence, official documents, audit red flags, and public interest disclosures not merely on petitions,” Balarabe stated.
He said the fight against corruption cannot depend solely on who submits paperwork, but that it must depend on facts, accountability, and the public interest.
