The World Bank Group has imposed a 30-month debarment on two Nigerian companies, Viva Atlantic Limited and Technology House Limited, as well as their Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Norman Didam. They were found guilty of engaging in fraudulent, collusive, and corrupt activities related to the National Social Safety Nets Project in Nigeria. These actions compromised the project’s aim of providing financial assistance to impoverished households due to unethical practices during a 2018 procurement process.
The World Bank revealed that the companies and Didam misrepresented a conflict of interest, obtained confidential tender information from public officials, falsified experience records, submitted fake documents, and offered inducements to project officials. These actions were deemed as fraudulent, collusive, and corrupt practices under the bank’s Anti-corruption Framework. Such violations undermined the integrity of the social safety net initiative intended to support Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations.
Consequently, the two companies and Didam are barred from participating in World Bank-financed projects and operations for the specified period. They have acknowledged their wrongdoing and agreed to comply with specific conditions, including enhanced compliance measures. Didam is required to undergo ethics training, while the companies must enhance their integrity compliance policies and implement ethics training programs as per the bank’s guidelines.
The reduced debarment periods were granted due to the parties’ cooperation during investigations, corrective actions, self-imposed restrictions on bidding, and the time elapsed since the infractions. The debarments are also subject to cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks. The implicated parties are urged to fulfill the specified conditions during the debarment period to regain eligibility for future Bank-funded projects. The World Bank emphasizes its commitment to transparency and accountability in development projects, emphasizing a zero-tolerance stance on corruption.