S’Court, NAHCON, others fail ICPC’s 2024 ethical, compliance integrity scorecard

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday revealed that the Supreme Court of Nigeria (SCN), Nigeria Press Council (NPC), National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), and 12 others failed to comply with its 2024 Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS).

According to the anti-corruption commission, which unveiled the EICS to journalists at its headquarters in Abuja, none of the 330 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) assessed in the outgoing year achieved full compliance. Of these, 15 MDAs did not comply at all with the EICS.

The assessment covered key indicators, including Management Culture and Structure (MCS); Governance and Executive Management; Financial Management Systems (FMS); Finance, Revenue, and Audit Processes; and Administrative Systems (AS), which encompass policies, ethics education, and whistle-blowing mechanisms.

It was revealed that the 15 non-compliant MDAs failed to conduct any system studies or submit financial and audit reports.

However, the commission noted that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) emerged as the top performer in the EICS with a score of 89.75%, while the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) and Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) scored 89.33% and 88.73%, respectively, securing second and third positions.

Apart from the SCN, NPC, and NAHCON, other MDAs that failed to meet the EICS standards included the University of Ibadan (UI); Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife; Legal Aid Council, Abuja; Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Abuja; Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists; Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria; Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe; and National Obstetrics Fistula Centre, Ningi.

Others were the Institute of Archaeology and Museum; Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Umudike; Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Mando, Kaduna; and the Federal Polytechnic, Ede.

The EICS serves as a preventive tool to assess and enhance MDAs’ compliance with ethical standards, policies, and anti-corruption measures, according to the commission.

Speaking on the initiative, ICPC’s Director of Public Enlightenment and Education, Demola Bakare, who also serves as its spokesperson, stated that the scorecard aims to identify organizational gaps, provide actionable insights, advise the government on policy development, promote self-evaluation within MDAs, and establish an objective rating to foster improvement.

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Bakare disclosed that between December 2023 and December 2024, the ICPC tracked 1,500 projects across 22 states valued at N610 billion. During this period, the commission recovered N346 million in cash, assets worth N400 million, and helped the government save N30 billion.

“This year, the tool covered 323 responsive MDAs, with 15 categorized as non-responsive and high-risk for corruption,” he said. “In 2024, no MDA achieved full compliance.”

He attributed these outcomes to factors such as the absence of whistle-blower policies, strategic plans, and effective stock verification units.

Bakare reported that 29.55% of MDAs achieved substantial compliance, 51.62% partial compliance, 15.91% poor compliance, and 2.92% were non-compliant. He added that ICPC would continue recognizing MDAs with substantial compliance and deploy tools to promote integrity and accountability.

“Non-compliant MDAs will face necessary actions, including enforcement, to ensure adherence to government directives,” he assured.

In his remarks, the Head of the Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative (CEPTI), Jimoh Sulaiman, stated that project tracking often yielded positive outcomes. He noted that the initiative had increased the completion rate of projects and heightened public interest in constituency projects.

“Nigerians now understand that project funding comes from the Federal Government, not politicians’ pockets. They are demanding accountability,” Sulaiman concluded.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE