ICPC to NDDC staff: beware of anti-graft laws
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) has called on the employees of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to guard against flouting anti-graft laws.
The ICPC zonal commissioner for Rivers and Bayelsa states, Ekere Usiere, spoke during a workforce sensitisation exercise organised by the NDDC at the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
Usiere in a statement signed by the NDDC Director, Corporate Affairs, Pius Ughakpoteni, commended the commission and its Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) for sponsoring the sensitization tagged, ‘Understanding the Offences and Penalties Under the ICPC Act 2000’.
She acknowledged the critical role played by the NDDC in intervening to solve the socio-economic challenges of the Niger Delta region, saying it was necessary to undertake periodic sensitisation of staff as an antidote to corrupt practices.
In his remarks, the NDDC’s Managing Director, Samuel Ogbuku, stressed the need to always take measures to tackle corrupt practices and entrench transparency in public service.
He said that the sensitization was part of the efforts to enhance the service delivery of the commission.
The NDDC boss, who was represented by the Director II, Administration and Human Resources, Patrick Obayelu, noted that the new board and management of the commission would spare no effort to ensure that ethics and values were maintained in the interventionist agency.
He charged the staff to imbibe honesty and transparency in the discharge of their duties to the commission and the people of the Niger Delta region.
In a keynote presentation, the Head Legal Department of ICPC in Rivers State, Dr. Agada Akogwu, urged the NDDC to strengthen its Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit to effectively serve as the conscience of the commission.
He said that the unit should set up a system that would continuously study and review corruption-prone processes and procedures and develop a code of ethics or conduct, including corruption prevention guidelines for staff.
Akogwu said: “Every public servant should take the ICPC Act as a bible and internalise all its tenets. That is why NDDC deserves commendation for organizing a sensitization programme for its staff.”
