The World Bank Group has imposed a 30-month debarment on two Nigerian companies—Viva Atlantic Limited and Technology House Limited—alongside their Managing Director and CEO, Norman Bwuruk Didam, for engaging in fraudulent, collusive, and corrupt practices tied to the National Social Safety Nets Project in Nigeria.
In a statement released on Monday, the World Bank disclosed that the misconduct, which compromised the project aimed at providing financial support to Nigeria’s most vulnerable households, occurred during the 2018 procurement and contract processes.
The statement read, “The World Bank Group today announced the 30-month debarment of two Nigeria-based companies—Viva Atlantic Limited and Technology House Limited—and their Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Norman Bwuruk Didam, for fraudulent, collusive, and corrupt practices as part of the National Social Safety Nets Project in Nigeria.”
The investigation revealed that Viva Atlantic Limited, Technology House Limited, and Didam misrepresented conflicts of interest in their bids, gained access to confidential tender information from public officials, falsified experience records, and submitted fake manufacturer authorization letters. They also offered inducements to project officials. These actions violated the World Bank’s Anti-Corruption Framework and undermined the integrity of the project.
The bank highlighted that as part of the settlement, the implicated parties admitted to their misconduct and agreed to meet several conditions, including mandatory ethics training for Didam and the implementation of enhanced compliance measures by the companies.
“The companies and Mr. Didam committed to fully cooperate with the Bank Group Integrity Vice Presidency, undergo ethics training, and establish improved internal compliance policies and corporate ethics training programs in line with the World Bank’s Integrity Compliance Guidelines,” the statement added.
The debarment bars the companies and Didam from participating in any World Bank-funded projects during the period. It also qualifies for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under the 2010 Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions.
The World Bank acknowledged that the debarment period was reduced due to the parties’ cooperation during investigations, voluntary corrective actions, self-imposed bidding restraints, and the time elapsed since the infractions.
Reiterating its commitment to transparency and accountability, the World Bank stressed that the sanctions underscore its zero-tolerance approach to corruption and emphasized that the implicated parties must fulfill all stipulated conditions to regain eligibility for future Bank-funded initiatives.
