The World Bank Group has imposed a 30-month debarment on two Nigerian companies, Viva Atlantic Limited and Technology House Limited, along with their Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Norman Bwuruk Didam. This action is in response to findings of fraudulent, collusive, and corrupt activities associated with the National Social Safety Nets Project (NSSNP) in Nigeria.
The NSSNP was established to provide targeted financial assistance to impoverished and vulnerable households across Nigeria. However, investigations revealed that during the 2018 procurement and contract processes, Viva Atlantic Limited, Technology House Limited, and Mr. Didam engaged in several unethical practices. These included misrepresenting conflicts of interest in their bid submissions, improperly obtaining confidential tender information from public officials, falsifying company experience records, submitting counterfeit manufacturer authorization letters, and offering inducements to project officials. Such actions constitute violations of the World Bank’s Anticorruption Framework.
As a consequence, the debarment prohibits the two companies and Mr. Didam from participating in any projects or operations financed by the World Bank Group for the duration of the sanction. In their settlement agreements, the parties acknowledged their misconduct and consented to fulfill specified integrity compliance conditions to be eligible for release from debarment. These conditions mandate that Mr. Didam complete individual corporate ethics training, while both companies are required to enhance their internal integrity compliance policies and implement corporate ethics training programs aligned with the World Bank Group’s Integrity Compliance Guidelines.
The debarment period was reduced due to the cooperation of the companies and Mr. Didam during the investigation, their voluntary corrective actions, self-imposed restraint from participating in World Bank tenders, and the time elapsed since the infractions. Additionally, this debarment qualifies for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions, signed on April 9, 2010.
This enforcement action underscores the World Bank’s unwavering commitment to maintaining integrity in its development projects and ensuring that funds designated for poverty alleviation and economic development are utilized appropriately. It serves as a stern reminder of the institution’s zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and fraud in its financed operations.
