The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has issued a stern warning to staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), urging them to shun corrupt practices or face the full force of the law. The warning was delivered by Mrs. Ekere Usiere, the ICPC anti-corruption commissioner for Rivers and Bayelsa state offices.
Usiere delivered the message during a quarterly anti-corruption sensitization workshop for NDDC employees in Port Harcourt on friday. The workshop, which focused on “infractions/offenses in anti-graft laws; preventive measures,” is part of an ongoing collaboration between the two agencies to instill a culture of transparency and accountability.
According to a statement from nddc’s director of corporate affairs, Mrs. Seledi Thompson-Wakama, the commission’s management is committed to working with the ICPC to ensure that employees uphold ethical values and maintain diligence and uprightness in their duties, with the goal of enhancing service delivery in the region.
She acknowledged the critical role of the NDDC in the development of the Niger Delta region and stressed the importance of holding periodic meetings to sensitise staff against corrupt practices.
“NDDC staff must distance themselves from corruption, as anybody caught will be prosecuted in accordance with the law,” she stated.
Usiere explained that regular anti-corrupt workshops would enable NDDC employees to understand the impact of corruption on development and how to prevent it.
“This workshop themed, “Infractions/Offenses in Anti-Graft Laws; Preventive Measures,” serves as an antidote to corrupt practices,” she said.
Also speaking, Dr Evans Peters, Head of Legal Department at ICPC in Rivers, urged the commission to strengthen its Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit to enhance its effectiveness.
He further advised the NDDC to implement a system for continuous review of corruption-prone processes and procedures, and to develop a code of ethics that would include corruption prevention guidelines for staff.
According to Peters, it is an offence for an individual to inflate contracts, award contracts without budgetary provision, and frustrate investigations.
“In addition, any staff who make false statements and returns, fail to report bribery activities, and conspire to provide false information, or engage in similar acts will be prosecuted.
“Every public servant should take the ICPC Act as a Bible and internalise its tenets, as ICPC frowns heavily on gratification,” he said
Peters further warned that proceeds from crime, or anything beyond a worker’s legitimate income, remained subject to seizure by the government, with the offender still liable to prosecution.
“Anyone caught in corrupt practices could be sent to jail. The law does not condone ignorance,” he added.
Earlier, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director of the NDDC, emphasised the importance of adopting measures to tackle corruption and entrench transparency in public service.
Represented by Dr James Fole, NDDC’s Director III of Administration and Human Resources, Ogbuku stated that the workshop formed part of a broader strategy to enhance service delivery in the commission.
“We are passionate about service delivery; hence, we organised this workshop to educate our staff on the need to avoid corrupt acts.
“We want our staff to work with diligence and uprightness while carrying out their duties,” he advised.
Ogbuku noted that the NDDC Board and Management would spare no effort to ensure that ethics and values would be firmly entrenched in the commission.
