The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has urged staff of the Federal Ministry of Power to demonstrate zero-tolerance for corruption in order to ensure Nigeria’s development.
The acting Chairman of ICPC, Hon. Abdullahi Bako made the call during a sensitization exercise for senior management staff of the Ministry of Power in Abuja recently.
Hon. Bako, who was represented by Mr. Akeem Lawal, Head of Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Department (CMED) of ICPC, said the workshop was aimed at educating, enlightening and mobilizing staff of the ministry against corruption.
He said ICPC believed that “Nigerians are human with good sense, reasoning and understanding”, therefore, the fight against corruption through preventive mechanism would create a more impactful result.
The Acting Chairman said further that the workshop was part of the strategy to achieve the third objective of the Commission’s mandate of prevention, education and public enlightenment, as enshrined in the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
Hon. Bako added that public servants must be prepared to offer their services without compromising and making people believe that they must bribe or give gratification before getting results.
Two papers were presented at the workshop, and they were: “Ethics, Integrity and Code of Conduct for Compliance in the Workplace” by Mr. Lawal and “Government Efforts at Combating Corruption in the Public Sector” by Justin Kuatsea of CMED.
In his remarks the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Louis O. N. Edozien who was represented by the Director of Planning Research and Statistics, Mrs. A. I. Attah, said the sensitization was “timely”, adding that participants should use the knowledge gained to help build an efficient power sector and Nigeria in general.