The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo Nta, has urged civil servants to see the ‘change agenda’ of President Muhammadu Buhari as a good tool in the fight against corruption.
Nta, who was represented by Assistant Commissioner, Legal Department of ICPC, Mr. Adenekan Shogunle, at a workshop organised by the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Unit (ACTU), of the State House, Abuja, said the ‘change’ that has come on board with the new administration, should be seen as a challenge to all Nigerians in the fight against corruption.
The ICPC Chairman encouraged management and staff of the State House to play their roles as everyone is a leader and should therefore make the fight against corruption their responsibility.
In his address, the Permanent Secretary of the State House, who was represented by Alhaji Tijani Umar, Director, Office of the Permanent Secretary, assured staff that the outcome of the workshop would improve the working processes of the State House.
He added that the workshop should not be seen as an ordinary exercise but as a learning process because everyone will be accountable for their actions in the course of their service to the nation.
In a paper presentation titled “The Freedom of Information Act 2011 and the Fight Against Corruption in Nigeria”, Mr. Shogunle educated participants at the workshop on the background, salient features, and offences under the FOI Act and its importance as a tool in the fight against corruption.
In his presentation titled “The ICPC and the Promotion of Ethics in Public Service” Mr. Tanko Sama’ila Abdulahi of ICPC, talked on the importance of ethics in public service and he encouraged participants to apply ethical values in their daily endeavours.
In his closing remarks the ACTU Chairman of State House, Mallam Ahmed Sulieman told the participants that the workshop was not just meant to be useful to them as public servants, but that they could also continue to make use of the knowledge gathered when they retire from service because corruption has to do with morality.