We paid over N7bn salary arrears to personnel to douse tension ― NSCDC boss

The Commandant-General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ahmed Abubakar Audi has disclosed that his administration had sought and paid over N7 billion to personnel for three years of promotion arrears to douse tension.

He has equally declared zero tolerance for corruption while expressing commitment to promoting ethics, integrity and accountability in our system and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Audi spoke on Wednesday in Abuja during the inauguration and induction of heads of the Anti-corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of the Corps, from the 36 states and FCT, the saying was part of efforts to strengthen internal accountability and integrity system while promoting ethical behaviour in all our processes and procedure, and among the rank and file of our personnel.

He said: “When we came in, we met a very dampened staff morale as a result of lack of payment of benefits and promotion arrears. We quickly went into action and asked the government to please, consider our plight, although, we had some doubting Thomases among us, they were disappointed and the first thing we did was to pay arrears of salaries for three years amounting to over N7 billion.

“That was just to douse the tension and to encourage personnel to give their best,” Audi said.

He noted the inauguration could not have come at a better time when the nation is preparing for generation election, saying this would ensure the integrity of the personnel during the election period.

“I have whole-heartedly endorsed ACTUs resolute commitment to promoting and enforcing our code of ethics based on extant statutory Anti-corruption guidelines. No meaningful reform for growth and sustainability is possible where corruption reigns. For this reason, we have worked hard to maintain the culture of probity, accountability and transparency in the corps,” Audi said.

He added that ACTU has made some remarkable impact in its fight against corruption, disclosing that between 2018 and now, ACTU has recovered over N120 million from various corruption-related cases.

He noted that there has also been an appreciable reduction in cases of job racketeering owing to ACTUs’ mounted enlightenment campaigns.

He urged the inaugurated ACTU heads, led by Commandant Remi Ekundayo, to justify the confidence the Corps has reposed in them through hard work and humility in carrying out their duties and functions as required by ACTU Standing Order.

Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC) Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, in his keynote address commended the NSCDC as one of the agencies of government that have ranked high in terms of transparency and integrity.

He disclosed NSCDC was graded Second (2nd) amongst agencies of the Ministry of Interior and 38 in the about 460 Government agencies in the recently conducted 2021 Ethics and Integrity Score Card Assessment of
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) by the ICPC.

The ICPC Chairman represented by Mr Olayinka Oyebayo, called on the agencies of government to ensure that resources are managed in a prudent and transparent manner in order to accelerate the development of the country.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE 

• Senate set to whittle down Buhari’s powers on removal of EFCC chairman

• Effects Of Too Much Protein

• Who Is Afraid Of BVAS?

• The Most Dangerous Thing To Toy With Is Not Ethnicity, It Is Religion —Dogara

• Reasons You Need To Stop Eating Raw Noodles

• EDITORIAL: FG’s new mother tongue policy

We paid over N7bn salary arrears to personnel to douse tension ― NSCDC boss