ICPC to help states to design anti-corruption strategies

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, Ekpo Nta, said the commission was assisting State Governments to design and implement anti-corruption strategies through state anti-corruption summits.
Nta, who disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the commission’s media parley, said ICPC had so far covered some states in four zones.
These are North-East, North-Central, South-East and the South-South.
The chairman said that a System Study and Review was being executed in Gombe State Board of Internal Revenue, Niger Delta University and National Examinations Council to identify and correct system weaknesses
He said the commission had also commenced SSR in Ekiti State Board of Internal Revenue (at the request of the State Government); National Power Training Institute of Nigeria; National Teachers Institute; National Broadcasting Commission; and the Bureau of Public Enterprises.
Nta said the commission has also instituted integrity consciousness at the grassroots and across tertiary institutions in the country.
He said the implementation of anti-corruption strategies was triggered by a review exercise carried out by the commission in some states of the federation especially in areas of blocking loopholes in internally generated revenue.
Nta said the commission did not only identify corruption-prone process, practices and procedures in government agencies, but also worked with them to institutionalise corruption-free process and enforce compliance.
He said: “There are ongoing collaborations to strengthen the ethical tone of ministries, departments and agencies, through anti-corruption and transparency units.”
The chairman stressed the need for citizens to have confidence in the governance systems.
He stressed that the media could assist the process by ensuring balanced reportage of ICPC’s tripartite mandate of enforcement, prevention and public mobilisation against corruption.
Nta said: “With a vigilant media and citizens mobilised to demand transparency and accountability, corrupt persons have no place to hide.
“We hold a strong belief that together, as partners, we shall achieve the Nigeria of our dreams.”
Nta added that ICPC underscored corruption prevention as being a more effective anti-corruption strategy in the long run, in line with the global best practices.
He added that the commission’s activities such as Corruption Risk Assessments and System Studies were approaches to block all corruption-prone areas.