The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has warned staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) against engaging in corrupt practices.
Ekere Usiere, the ICPC anti-corruption commissioner in charge of Rivers and Bayelsa offices, gave the warning in Port Harcourt, Rivers, according to a statement issued by the NDDC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, in Port Harcourt on Friday.
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The statement said Mrs Usiere spoke during the quarterly anti-corruption sensitisation workshop for NDDC staff. She warned that anybody caught in the act would face the full wrath of the law.
She acknowledged the NDDC’s critical role in the development of the Niger Delta region and stressed the importance of holding periodic meetings to sensitise staff against corrupt practices.
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“NDDC staff must distance themselves from corruption, as anybody caught will be prosecuted in accordance with the law,” she stated.
Mrs 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/Offences in Anti-Graft Laws; Preventive Measures,’ serves as an antidote to corrupt practices,” she said.
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Also speaking, Evans Peters, head of the 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 Mr 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
Mr 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, Samuel Ogbuku, the managing director of the NDDC, emphasised the importance of adopting measures to tackle corruption and entrench transparency in public service.
Represented by James Fole, the NDDC’s director III of Administration and Human Resources, Mr Ogbuku stated that the workshop formed part of a broader strategy to enhance service delivery in the commission.
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“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.
Mr Ogbuku noted that the NDDC board and management would spare no effort to ensure that ethics and values are firmly entrenched in the commission.
(NAN)
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