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 Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Norman Bwuruk Didam. This action is due to their involvement in fraudulent, collusive, and corrupt practices related to Nigeria’s National Social Safety Nets Project (NSSNP).
The NSSNP aims to strengthen Nigeria’s social safety net systems by providing targeted financial assistance to impoverished and vulnerable households. Investigations revealed that in a 2018 procurement and subsequent contract, Viva Atlantic Limited, Technology House Limited, and Mr. Didam misrepresented a conflict of interest in their bid submissions and obtained confidential tender information from public officials, constituting fraudulent and collusive practices.
Furthermore, Viva Atlantic Limited and Mr. Didam falsified manufacturer’s authorization letters and offered items of value to project public officials, actions identified as fraudulent and corrupt practices. As a result, the World Bank’s debarment renders these entities and Mr. Didam ineligible to participate in projects and operations financed by institutions of the World Bank Group during the debarment period.
The debarments of Mr. Didam, Viva Atlantic Limited, and Technology House Limited are also subject to cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions, signed on April 9, 2010. This means that other international financial institutions may also enforce similar sanctions against these entities and individuals.
As part of their settlement agreements, the companies and Mr. Didam have acknowledged their culpability and agreed to meet specified integrity compliance conditions as a requirement for release from debarment. The settlement agreements feature reduced debarment periods due to their cooperation with the World Bank Group’s investigation, voluntary corrective actions, and self-imposed restraint from participating in Bank Group tenders.
