By Rachel Maza
Chairman, Independent Corruption Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) Ekpo Nta, yesterday revealed that the Commission has built systems that would automatically block corruption opportunities, through systemic and operational intervention mechanisms in the public sector national.
The ICPC boss stated this yesterday, while delivering a Keynote Address to civil society organizations (CSOs) and community-based organization (CBOs) registered under the ICPC platform of the National Anti-Corruption Coalition (NACC), at a one-day consultative meeting, which held at the ICPC auditorium, Abuja.
The NACC is a platform meant to galvanize active support and participation of CSOs and CBOs in the national crusade against corruption.
According to the ICPC boss, “”In line with section 6 (b-d) of the ICPC Act 2000, we built systems that would automatically block corruption opportunities. This, it has been doing through systemic and operational intervention mechanisms in the public sector national.
“In the area of enforcement, the commission has stepped up the arrest and prosecution of corrupt officials, particularly in the areas having to do with education, health, pension matters, tax fraud, visa, scams, and integrated personnel payroll information system (IPPIS), contract awards, acquisition of land using forged document or manipulating process, etc.
He further said, “From 2006, when the coalition was established to date, a total of 298 NGOs have been vetted and fully registered with the coalition while 35 are being vetted.
“I regret to state however, that out of the 298 registered NGOs, only 70 are active members of the coalition. That is to say that most of the NGOs registered under the coalition have failed to live up to expectation of the content and intent of the memorandum of understanding they had signed.
The ICPC boss implored members of the coalition “to relate with ICPC as it is and stop comparing it with other anti-corruption agencies. Our mode of operation and focus, even mandates are different. ICPC believes in building institutional capacities to fight corruption and this is the global best practice acceptable the world over.
“It is my belief that you will contribute meaningfully and participate actively to the attainment of the objectives of today’s consultative meeting with the view to strengthen the coalition for a more purposeful and effective fight against corruption”, he further stated.
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