By Cross Udo, Abuja
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has commended the management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) for supporting the Fund’s Anti-Corruption and Transparent Unit, ACTU, and urged it “to identify lapses in the operational system, check unethical practices and sensitize members of staff against corruption.”
The appeal came yesterday from the Chairman of the ICPC, Musa Adamu Aliyu, at the launch of NSITF’s ACTU sensitization campaign at the Scorpion Officers Mess, Wu Bassey Barracks in Asokoro, Abuja.
The ICPC Chairman, who was represented by an agency officer, Olusegun Adigun, stated that the ICPC takes a three-pronged approach to fighting corruption.
A statement issued by Nwachukwu Godson, General Manager of Corporate Affairs, quoted the Chairman as saying, “Our three-pronged approach includes enforcement, prevention, education, and public enlightenment.
“In giving effect to its preventive mandate, the ICP established the Ant-Corruption and Transparency Unit to serve as an internal regulatory mechanism, to identify lapses in operational systems, check unethical practices, sensitize staff members against corruption, and assist management in building transparent and ethical workforce.
“This sensitization programme again provides the opportunity for management and staff to understand their role in building ethical institutions and to identify preventive mechanisms for tackling the menace of corruption in the public service.
“I, therefore, encourage the ACTU NSITF to continue collaborating with the management and staff to promote an ethical agency.”
In his address at the event, the Managing Director of the NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, applauded the ICPC for its collaboration with the Fund, adding that the anti-corruption campaign was a pivotal step towards reinforcing collective resolve to uphold integrity and transparency.
“The objective is to educate staff and stakeholders on corruption prevention measures, to promote integrity and accountability within the NSITF while our focus areas include transparency in operations, ethical leadership and decision making and collaborating with ICPC to strengthen anti-corruption mechanisms.”
Faleye, who noted that corruption undermines public trust, stunts organization growth, and diminishes service delivery, said the NSITF will leave no stone unturned in maintaining transparency standards in all its operations.
Expressing pleasure over the agency’s awareness of corruption risks, he said the Fund will strengthen its commitment to accountability through periodic reviews.
Speaking further on corruption prevention, he stated that his organization was working on digitizing its core processes to minimize lapses associated with manual operations. We will also ensure a robust monitoring framework and strengthen the whistleblowing mechanism in the Fund,” he added.
In her welcome address, the NSITF’s head of ACTU, Oamen Josephine, explained the unit’s role and dismissed scepticism about its operations. She said the anti-corruption campaign, though led by her unit, was collective and urged all hands to be on deck.
The Executive Director of Operations, Mojisolaoluwa Ali-Macaulay, and the management staff of the headquarters and Abuja Region were also at the event, while other staff members across the nation joined via Zoom.
