The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, has called on government agencies operating at Nigerian seaports to designate officers to handle compliance issues.
Owasanoye made the call at the Commission’s headquarters recently, when he played host to a delegation from the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN).
The ICPC boss said the different agencies at the ports should have a compliance officer while Commission will handle the enforcement part of non-compliance issues.
“Every participating agency at the ports should have a compliance officer to look at issues of non-compliance while a feedback mechanism can be created to help them deliver”, he said.
He advised that such an officer should be a high-ranking officer, who has good knowledge of port activities and has direct access to the Chief Executive Officer of their respective agencies.
Earlier in his remarks, leader of the delegation, Soji Apampa, said they were in the Commission to discuss the progress made so far in Ports Support Service Portal (PSSP) and to look at some compliance challenges being experienced at the ports currently shouldered majorly by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
He therefore prayed the Commission to strengthen the compliance arm of the agencies at the ports so that they can be policed by these agencies in order to reduce the burden on Shippers’ Council.
Speaking on National Ethics and Integrity Policy, Mr. Apampa recommended that the Consequence Management Template of the Policy be applied at the ports in order to have more people leaning towards doing the right thing.