The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is set to carry out Corruption Risk Assessment (CRA) which is a form of system study and review at the Federal Ministry of Aviation (FMA) to help tackle corruption in the aviation sector.
The project is a fallout of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Commission and the Federal Ministry of Aviation (FMA) in 2014 towards eradicating corruption in the nation’s aviation sector.
The Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Anti-Corruption intervention in the Aviation Sector, a board member of the ICPC, Alhaji Isa Ozi-Salami, OFR, in his opening address at the inaugural meeting of the Project Advisory Committee on the conduct of the risk assessment, said that the exercise would help block all corruption-prone areas in the sector.
Alhaji Salami noted that ICPC is mandated by Section 6(b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 to conduct corruption risk assessments in government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA).
The section reads in part, “To examine the practices, systems and procedures of public bodies and where, in the opinion of the Commission, such practices, systems or procedures aid or facilitate fraud or corruption, to direct a review of them.”
He added that CRA was aimed to identifying areas that were prone to corruption, proffer recommendations, and develop integrity plans that would strengthen accountability, transparency and enhance service delivery.
He further emphasized that CRA should not be seen as a criminal investigation, but rather a study of systems with a view to recommending a review so as to reduce corruption in the sector.
He therefore urged all staff of FMA to co-operate by providing insightful information that would assist the committee in achieving its set goals and objectives.
In his welcome remarks at the meeting, Director, Internal Audit, Federal Ministry of Aviation, Mr. Jibrin Muhammed had commended ICPC for setting up the committee as a preventive measure against corruption in the aviation sector.
A presentation: “Corruption Risk Assessment in the Aviation Sector” done by the Project Coordinator, Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa, mni, a Commissioner of the Public Enlightenment Department of ICPC, who was represented by Mrs. Azuka Ogugua of the Education Department, detailed the goals and objectives, methodology, its scope of work, outputs and deliverables, outcomes and follow-up plan.
She explained that the use of international best practice tools would be developed and these tools would be modified to suit the aviation sector.
She also said that there would be the need to expand the membership of the committee to include other agencies such as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Customs and other operators at the airports, for effective implementation of the project.