The World Bank Group has announced the debarment of two Nigerian companies, Viva Atlantic Limited and Technology House Limited, alongside their Managing Director and CEO, Norman Didam, for involvement in fraudulent, collusive, and corrupt practices.
The 30-month debarment stems from unethical activities during the National Social Safety Nets Project (NSSNP) in Nigeria, a program aimed at providing financial support to vulnerable households. The misconduct occurred during the 2018 procurement and contract process.
According to a statement released on Monday, both companies and Mr. Didam were found to have misrepresented conflicts of interest, accessed confidential tender information, falsified experience records, and submitted fraudulent manufacturer authorizations. Additionally, they were found to have offered bribes to project officials. The World Bank highlighted that these actions violated the bank’s Anticorruption Framework, describing them as fraudulent and collusive practices.
The penalty prevents the firms and Mr. Didam from participating in any World Bank-financed projects for the duration of the debarment. However, the settlement agreement acknowledges reduced debarment periods due to the companies’ cooperation during the investigation, voluntary corrective actions, and the time elapsed since the violations.
As part of the resolution, Didam must undergo ethics training, while the companies are required to strengthen their internal compliance policies and establish corporate ethics programs in alignment with the World Bank’s Integrity Compliance Guidelines. The debarments are also subject to cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under the 2010 Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions.
