By Ignatius Ushie
The Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Offences Commission (ICPC) has commended the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) for the structures and processes put in place to ensure the promotion of ethical standards and anti-corruption fight in the agency. This is according to a statement signed by Director Public Affairs in the Ministry of Aviation, James Odauda and made available to Transport Day.
The Commission commended the agency for creating the right environment for the effective functioning of the Anti-corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU), thus promoting the ideals of the ICPC.
A letter personally signed by the ICPC Chairman, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye stated that the agency scored 69.9% during the 2020 deployment of the Ethics and Compliance Scorecard and the ACTU Effectiveness Index (AEI).
The ICPC Chairman added- “recall that the Commission, under section 6(b) – (d) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, carried out the 2020 deployment of the Ethics and Compliance Scorecard (ECS) and the ACTU Effectiveness Index (AEI).
“Your documents were analysed and the result revealed a score of 69.9 % which connotes partial compliance on the ECS and a Very Effective status on the AEI”. The Commission commends your organisation for the structures and processes you have in place which promote efficiency”.
The ICPC Chairman urged the agency to maintain the standards while also improving on certain areas like Ethics and Compliance training to identify corruption vulnerabilities and mitigation mechanisms and effective whistle-blowing mechanisms, adding that other areas include the continued support for the Anti-corruption and Transparency Unit, development of a clear policy to guide acceptance of gifts, hospitality and donations by staff and putting in place a system for staff to understand the core values of the agency.
Reacting to the Commission’s commendation, the Director-General of NiMet, Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi described it as a good development that would spur the agency to do more in the area of anti-corruption fights.
According to him, the agency has been able to record major achievements with the encouragement of the Minister of Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika, whose commitment and leadership continues to propel the sector to higher altitudes.
