The World Bank Group has announced a 30-month debarment for two companies based in Nigeria, Viva Atlantic Limited and Technology House Limited, along with their Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Norman Bwuruk Didam. The debarment is related to fraudulent, collusive, and corrupt activities linked to the National Social Safety Nets Project in Nigeria.
The project was designed to provide targeted transfers to impoverished and vulnerable households as part of Nigeria's expanded national social safety nets system. According to the World Bank’s Anticorruption Framework, during a 2018 procurement process and subsequent contract, the companies and Mr. Didam misrepresented a conflict of interest in their Letter of Bids and obtained confidential tender information from public officials. These actions were deemed fraudulent and collusive practices. Additionally, Viva Atlantic Limited and Mr. Didam misrepresented the company's experience, submitted falsified manufacturer’s authorization letters, and offered bribes to project officials.
As a result of these findings, the companies and Mr. Didam are barred from participating in any projects or operations financed by the Bank Group. They have acknowledged their culpability as part of settlement agreements which require them to meet specific integrity compliance conditions for release from debarment. This includes Mr. Didam completing corporate ethics training individually while both companies must enhance their internal integrity compliance policies and implement corporate ethics training programs according to Bank Group Integrity Compliance Guidelines.
The companies have also committed to continue cooperating fully with the Bank Group Integrity Vice Presidency. Due to their cooperation with the investigation, voluntary corrective actions taken by them, voluntary restraint from participating in Bank Group tenders, and passage of time since the incidents occurred, reduced debarment periods were granted under these settlement agreements.
Furthermore, these debarments qualify for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under an agreement signed on April 9, 2010.