The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has advised staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to steer clear of corruption and uphold integrity in public service.
The ICPC Commissioner for Rivers and Bayelsa States, Mrs Ekere Usiere, gave the charge during the quarterly anti-corruption sensitisation workshop held at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt.
Mrs Usiere, while commending the NDDC and its Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) for organising the exercise, said the event was necessary to remind staff of their responsibilities and build resistance to corrupt practices.
“The critical role played by the Commission as an interventionist agency makes it necessary to undertake periodic sensitisation of staff as an antidote to corrupt practices,” she said.
The workshop was held under the theme: “Infractions/Offences in Anti-Graft Laws; Preventive Measures.”
In his remarks, NDDC Managing Director Dr Samuel Ogbuku, represented by Director III of Admin and Human Resources, James Fole, urged staff to maintain uprightness in the discharge of their duties.
“I want you to avoid any corrupt activities, work diligently and be upright,” he said.
He emphasised that the NDDC Board and Management would spare no effort in entrenching ethics and values across the Commission.
Delivering a presentation at the workshop, the Head of Legal Department of ICPC in Rivers State, Dr Evans Peters, urged the NDDC to further empower its ACTU unit to serve as the conscience of the Commission.
He advised that the unit should institutionalise a system for regular review of corruption-prone processes and develop a comprehensive code of conduct to guide staff behaviour.
“Every public servant should take the ICPC Act as a bible and internalise all its tenets. That is why NDDC deserves commendation for organising a sensitisation programme for its staff,” Peters explained.
He warned that the Commission takes gratification seriously and that ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Peters listed several punishable offences under the ICPC Act, including deliberate frustration of investigations, concealment of private interests in contracts, making false statements, awarding contracts without budgetary provision, failure to report bribery, conspiracy, and misinformation.
“Proceeds from crime, anything beyond one’s legitimate income, is a crime for which the government can take the property and still prosecute the owner,” he warned.
In his closing remarks, NDDC Director of Legal Services, Victor Arenyeka, lauded the staff for participating in the sensitisation and encouraged them to remain accountable and committed to a corruption-free work culture.
PIAK