Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has inaugurated an Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) to support the fight against corrupt practices in the country.
The members were inducted yesterday by the acting Managing Director of NDDC, Mrs. Ibim Seminitari, at the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
Seminitari, who was represented by the Director, Finance and Supply, Mr. Jimoh Egbejule, charged members of the unit to carry the anti-corruption war to every nook and cranny of the commission. She reminded them of the need to continually protect their integrity and reflect this in the commission’s activities.
Describing the effort as a collaborative synergy with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), she insisted that it was only a vigorous and insistent fight against the scourge that would reduce the incidence of corruption and thus give value for money and elevate the commission.
Semenitari assured the ICPC that the committee could not afford to fail, and further charged the members to use their appointment as an avenue for keying the commission into the change agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The chairman of the ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta, represented by the River State Commissioner, Mr. Alexander Chukwurah, urged the NDDC to collaborate with the ICPC to fight corruption in the country, stating that ACTU was meant to help in combating corrupt practices and entrenching transparency in the public service.
He said: “Considering the nature and the structure of NDDC, it is imperative that the robust synergy between ICPC and NDDC is to be strengthened further through the infusion of a corruption prevention mechanism to check the activities of NDDC and ensure that due process, transparency and accountability are observed effectively.”
The Chairman of the ACTU, Mrs. Lyna Okara, thanked the commission for the opportunity to serve in the committee. She added: “I believe by the grace of God working together as one team we will be able to handle most if not all to the best of our ability.”
Other committee members include Chidi Nwankwo (Secretary), Ibezim Aniekan Rita, Helen Erakpotor and Gbenga Omowale.
