HEDA urges EFCC to probe NSPRI’s N683.8m spending

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) over its alleged expenditure of N683.8m on projects outside its statutory mandate in a single day. According to a report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, the institute made 14 separate payments to 14 companies on May 10 for projects including health centre renovation, polytechnic workshops, streetlights, boreholes, tricycles, empowerment programmes, and solar mini-grids.

These projects were located in federal constituencies across Borno, Benue, Yobe, Kwara, and Niger states, raising questions about their connection to the institute's core responsibilities. HEDA urged the EFCC to determine whether the transactions involved financial impropriety or abuse of public office and take appropriate legal action if wrongdoing was established, emphasizing the need for public institutions to account for their expenditure.

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