The Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) was set up by law to ensure adequate; reliable; cost-effective; and sustainable energy supply for the nation’s economic and socio-political development.
This lofty goal cannot be achieved in an environment where opaque practices thrive.
Against this backdrop, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) inaugurated the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of ECN in Abuja recently to ensure transparency and accountability in the operations and practices of the Energy Commission to guarantee an efficient and sustainable energy supply.
The inauguration which featured the administration of the oath of allegiance on the new members, it is believed, will usher in a new dispensation in the agency’s quest to eliminate corruption in its operations.
Consisting of a Chairman and seven other members, the Unit is mandated to carry out staff sensitization against corruption, and to serve as an internal regulatory mechanism for propelling ECN towards realizing its mission of promoting sustainable energy development in Nigeria through the development of strategic plans and coordination of a national policy in all its ramifications. It is also to serve as the eyes and ears of ICPC in the agency.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, the Chairman of ICPC, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, who was represented by Mr. Justin Kuatsea of Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Department, expressed optimism that the inauguration of the Unit would re-position the staff to work towards achieving zero-tolerance for corruption in the discharge of their duties.
Professor Owasanoye also charged the management of the establishment to comply with the recent circular from the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation mandating all Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to create a Budget Line in their annual budgets for funding the operations of ACTUs.
Earlier in his opening remark, the Director-General of ECN, Professor Eli Jidere Bala, had pledged the management’s commitment to ensuring a transparent and accountable agency, saying that it was the only way it could achieve its mandate of strategic planning.