In a bid to intensify the fight against corruption and other illegal practices in the maritime industry, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Federal Ministry of Transportation has inaugurated the Anti Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Unit (ACTU) of the Nigerian Shippers' Council (NSC).
ACTU is an initiative of ICPC to carry out system check, investigation and prevent corruption in Ministries Departments and Agencies.
In his address during the inauguration at the NSC's headquarters in Lagos on Friday, the ACTU Chairman of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Oliver Chukwu noted that the fight against corruption is an herculean task particularly in Nigeria. He however charged newly inaugurated members to brace up and ready to face opposition adding that the Minister of Transportation, Mu'azu Jaji Sambo is in support of the initiative.
Oliver also stressed the need for adequate training in order to equip members to combact the menace of corruption until the industry is fully sanitised and rid of every corrupt and illegal practices.
"The Minister of Transportation, Mu'azu Jaji Sambo is in support of all what you are doing. Whatever it takes to support the fight against corruption, the Ministry will support you in all aspects of it. The Minister said I should tell that you should keep it up.
"On my own part as the Chairman of this unit, I also support what you're doing. I want to say that they need training particularly training from ACAN or any training organized by Lagos office here. The fight for corruption is not an easy thing. Personally, at a point at the Ministry, people were calling me policeman. At a point, people were planning evil against me. It took the Grace of God to make me to survive," Oliver said.
Speaking earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers' Council (NSC), Emmanuel Jime pledged his absolute support to the activities of the while noting that the Council's mission statement is in consonance with the initiative.
Jime also charged members of the unit to shun giving and receiving of bribes in the course of discharging their duties.
"This programme is to inaugurate the Shippers' Council staff who has been cleared and approved by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related and Offences Commission to become members of ACTU in the council.
"You will agree with me that in the public service, government employees are regarded as representatives of the government of the day and therefore is expected to manifest the attitude of zero tolerance anti-corruption as advocated by the government.
"For us at the NSC, our mission statement that promotes an effective and efficient transport economic regulatory system that would contribute to the economic growth of the nation has imposed on us additional requirement of higher integrity in order to achieve our mission of becoming the nation's foremost regulator.
"I congratulate the inductees and remind them that the task ahead of them is enormous and I have no doubt that they would deliver on this additional assignment if trust given to them.
I challenge them to always remember to be honourable, don't give, don't take bribe," Jime said.
Also speaking, the Resident Commissioner, ICPC, Lagos State, Kabir Elelu said that the unit would replicate the activities of ICPC in the Shippers' Council. He also said that aside from the conventional functions of the Commission which is to probe corrupt practices among others, it also prevents corruption from happening.
"I will call on the members to live by example. It's an herculean one. To whom much is given, much is expected and to have been found worthy of membership which was thoroughly screened, it calls for a responsibility. ACTU reports directly to the CEO in all MDAs and it also provides that funds for the activities of the unit should be in the budget of every year. For these reasons, the Chairman and members of the unit should please take full advantage of this by ensuring that they carry out all the mandate of ICPC to best of their ability. It is only by reporting. Of course, they can report or even with call for an investigation if there's something wrong somewhere. Another function to carry out is to prevent corruption from happening and educate the public against corruption," Elelu said.
In her acceptance speech, the Chairman, ACTU, Nigerian Shippers' Council (NSC), Adaku Victoria Okam promised the NSC, ICPC and other related agencies the unit's maximum support in the nationwide fight against corruption
"I believe we'll bring special perspective on ACTU activities and sustain a corruption free organization. We can do it. As a member of this unit, we wish to assure the organization NSC, our support organ, ICPC under which framework ACTU draws it's standing other and our supervisory Ministry, FMOT that we are together not only by ACTU activities but by the nationwide fight against corruption which is also a global agenda."
The inaugurated members are: Adaku Victoria as Chairman, Emeruwa Nkechi as Secretary, while Zubairu Muhammed, John Bongko, Hamzat Marina, Habibat Aminu, and Oriyomi Ige as members of the Unit.
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