{"id":127664,"date":"2026-06-16T20:05:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T19:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=127664"},"modified":"2026-06-16T20:05:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T19:05:29","slug":"mdas-risk-sanctions-for-bypassing-project-verification-procedures-perm-sec-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/mdas-risk-sanctions-for-bypassing-project-verification-procedures-perm-sec-warns\/","title":{"rendered":"MDAs Risk Sanctions for Bypassing Project Verification Procedures, Perm Sec Warns"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Godswill Michael<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dr. Onwusoro Ihemelandu, has warned Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) against bypassing mandatory project verification and certification procedures, saying defaulters risk administrative sanctions and possible referral to anti-corruption agencies.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja during the presentation of the 2023\u20132025 Status Report and Compendium on Zonal Intervention and Constituency Projects, Ihemelandu said several MDAs had repeatedly failed to comply with established guidelines governing the implementation and payment of federally funded projects.<\/p>\n

According to him, a circular issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) requires all implementing agencies to submit projects for verification and certification by the ministry before payments are made to contractors.<\/p>\n

However, he said the directive has been consistently ignored by some agencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cMDAs are supposed to collaborate with the ministry for project verification and certification before contractor payments are effected,\u201d he said. \u201cIgnorance of the law is no excuse. We are here for you\u2014reach out and let us get the work done properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The permanent secretary stressed that compliance with the directive is mandatory and warned that violations would attract consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cFailure to comply with the provisions of the circular would attract administrative sanctions, including exclusion from future implementation responsibilities and referral to relevant accountability and law enforcement agencies,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He listed agencies that could be involved in enforcing compliance to include the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.<\/p>\n

Ihemelandu explained that the verification and certification framework was introduced to promote transparency, accountability and value for money in the execution of constituency and zonal intervention projects across the country.<\/p>\n

He disclosed that project implementation performance remains below expectations despite recent improvements.<\/p>\n

According to him, only 389 out of 1,347 projects earmarked for verification in 2023 were successfully verified, representing 28.88 per cent performance. In 2024, the figure improved to 483 verified projects out of 1,120, translating to 43.13 per cent.<\/p>\n

The permanent secretary attributed the improvement to reforms introduced under the current administration, including the deployment of a Geographic Information System-based Project Management Information System (GIS-PMIS) to strengthen project monitoring and reporting.<\/p>\n

He said the digital platform has improved real-time tracking, geo-referenced verification and data management, making project oversight more efficient.<\/p>\n

Despite the gains, he identified several challenges affecting project delivery, including persistent non-compliance by MDAs, delays in execution, weak inter-agency collaboration and inadequate logistics for nationwide monitoring exercises.<\/p>\n

To address the shortcomings, Ihemelandu said the ministry would intensify enforcement of compliance directives, strengthen monitoring capacity and ensure sanctions are applied where necessary.<\/p>\n

Also speaking, the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Hon. Zephaniah Bitrus Jisalo, described the compendium as an important accountability instrument that would improve transparency in the implementation of constituency and intervention projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event provides a platform for accountability, transparency and reflection on the implementation of constituency and intervention projects across the country,\u201d Jisalo said.<\/p>\n

The minister noted that the ministry remains committed to its mandate of monitoring, verification, certification and coordination of federal government projects, adding that significant investments have been made in infrastructure, healthcare, education, water supply, security and youth empowerment.<\/p>\n

According to him, effective monitoring of such projects is critical to ensuring that government interventions deliver tangible benefits to citizens and support broader national development objectives.<\/p>\n

The event also featured remarks from Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima.<\/p>\n

She called on public officials and stakeholders to uphold transparency and accountability in project implementation and service delivery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI call on all stakeholders to ensure the highest standards of transparency and accountability in order to achieve meaningful impact on the lives of our people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The presentation of the 2023\u20132025 status report and project compendium forms part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs to strengthen oversight of constituency and zonal intervention projects and improve public confidence in government spending.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Godswill Michael The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dr. Onwusoro Ihemelandu, has warned Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) against bypassing mandatory project…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":127665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMDAs Risk Sanctions for Bypassing Project Verification Procedures, Perm Sec Warns - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/mdas-risk-sanctions-for-bypassing-project-verification-procedures-perm-sec-warns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MDAs Risk Sanctions for Bypassing Project Verification Procedures, Perm Sec Warns - 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