The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has detained Sonny Echono, the executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), in connection with alleged irregularities in the award of ICT projects worth N7.6 billion.
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ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare in a statement said that Echono was invited for questioning on Thursday and remains in custody as the investigation continues.
The development follows a report by a media report on April 18, which revealed that TETFund awarded two contracts to Fides Et Ratio Academy and Pole Global Marketing (PGM) within two months at the cost of N3.8 billion each, without the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), as required for contracts of that size.
The contracts were intended to provide capacity building courses and learning management systems to approximately 2 million students across higher institutions in the country.
In response to the report, TETFund issued a rejoinder stating that the N7.6 billion projects were not contracts but rather ICT projects implemented under a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which does not require competitive bidding in public procurement.
The agency further clarified that its disbursement guidelines were approved by the president on the recommendation of the Fund’s Board of Trustees and with the concurrence of the Minister of Education, in line with the TETFund Act 2011.
In an interview with TheCable, Sonny Echono maintained that there was no form of irregularity in the N7.6 billion project. However, his detention by the ICPC suggests that the anti-graft agency is thoroughly investigating the matter to determine if any wrongdoing occurred in the award and implementation of the ICT projects.
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