The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has announced plans to begin monitoring education projects across Borno State in a fresh move aimed at strengthening accountability in the execution of public-funded school infrastructure and improving service delivery in primary and secondary education.
The proposed exercise, which is awaiting approval from the commission’s headquarters, will focus on projects implemented by the Borno State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), particularly classroom construction, rehabilitation works and other learning facilities. The initiative is expected to ensure that public resources allocated to education are translated into visible improvements within schools across the state.
The disclosure was made by the ICPC Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner for Borno and Yobe States, Linus Gubbi, during an engagement with directors and members of staff of the Borno State Universal Basic Education Board in Maiduguri.
According to Gubbi, the commission’s planned intervention goes beyond inspections of physical projects. He explained that the meeting also provided an avenue to strengthen cooperation with the board on procurement procedures, institutional accountability and mechanisms that encourage the reporting of wrongdoing within the public education system.
He noted that the objective is to deepen adherence to the Federal Government’s National Ethics and Integrity Policy by promoting transparency, professionalism and responsible management of public resources devoted to education.
Gubbi explained that once authorisation is granted, ICPC officers would carry out project verification in a manner similar to the commission’s monitoring of constituency and executive projects in other parts of the country. He stated that school buildings and other educational infrastructure would form a major part of the monitoring exercise, with emphasis placed on determining whether projects have been executed according to approved specifications and whether they are delivering value to learners and communities.
The anti-corruption commissioner also encouraged the reporting of suspected irregularities involving public projects, assuring that individuals who provide useful information would receive legal protection. He maintained that existing laws safeguard the identities of whistle-blowers and support efforts aimed at recovering public assets lost through corrupt practices.
Responding to the development, the Permanent Secretary of the Borno State Universal Basic Education Board, Helen Mshelia, described the sensitisation programme as enlightening, saying it clarified several actions that constitute breaches of public service regulations.
She acknowledged that the engagement had broadened the understanding of board personnel regarding ethical conduct, procurement compliance and accountability in the management of government resources.
Mshelia pledged that the board would continue to comply with established public service rules while addressing any operational gaps identified during the engagement. She added that corrective measures would be introduced wherever weaknesses are discovered to ensure that education projects are executed in line with approved standards and procedures.
The planned monitoring initiative comes as the ICPC continues to expand its project-tracking mandate across the country, using inspections and compliance checks to ensure that government-funded projects deliver measurable benefits to citizens and that funds allocated for critical sectors such as education are utilised for their intended purposes.
