The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHCSF) have resolved to strengthen the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Units (ACTUs) in Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for effective performance.
According to the resolution reached at a meeting in Abuja, ACTUs are now to be headed by officers not below Grade Level 15 in the various MDAs.
It was also agreed that the nucleus of each ACTU shall consist of an Accountant, an Auditor and a Procurement officer, while their deployment is now to be effected directly from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the Auditor General of the Federation and Office of Bureau of Public Procurement respectively, while other supporting staff shall remain and come from within each affected MDA.
Also as part of the reform, all ACTUs are to forward the reports of their activities to ICPC with a copy to the OHCSF.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation is to meet with the Minister of Finance for the purpose of creating a special budgetary sub-head for the ACTUs in MDAs to run their activities.
The reform is necessitated by the fact that the present ACTUs are faced with problems which hamper their smooth operation. These problems include: inadequate funding of the units, victimization of Unit members, lack of cooperation and support by Heads of some MDAs, constant redeployment of ACTU members and in some cases, outright dissolution of the unit at the whims of the Chief Executives of some MDAs among other issues.
Mike Sowe
Head, Public Enlightenment, ICPC