The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF ) has been advised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to ensure compliance to organisational and business ethics in a manner that can help curb corruption in port operations.
Head of Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Department (CMED) at ICPC, Mr. Akeem Lawal made this known yesterday during the inauguration of NAGAFF Anti-Corruption Committee unit (ACTU), in Lagos.
Lawal said that the commission has always welcomed support of stakeholders like the freight forwarding association in the fight against corruption, urging the newly-inaugurated committee of NAGAFF to provide monitoring and risk management mechanism to improve on the culture of integrity.
Lawal stated that the ills of corruption are multifarious and are not stereotype adding it’s an obnoxious criminal and immoral conduct, which everyone pays a price for, directly or indirectly.
The ICPC stalwart said that the ills and cost of corruption and corrupt practices on government and businesses are numerous which are not limited to indiscipline within any given organisation.
According to him, the commission has designed various platforms for the purpose of partnering with groups and agencies interested in the fight against corruption.
He further enjoined the committee to provide prevention strategies to mitigate institutional integrity, vulnerabilities and ethical breaches.
“It is important to state here that ICPC has always welcomed stakeholders like NAGAFF into her battalion of the fight against corruption”
“However such stakeholders outside of Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA) of the Federal Government are not Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units that only exists in the MDAs and cannot operate with the ACTU standing order”
“Those stakeholders are accommodated on other ICPC platform such as National Anti-Corruption Coalition(NACC) and Student Anti Corruption Vanguards”
“NAGAFF Anti-Corruption Committee is enjoined to imbibe the principle of ensuring adherence to statutory standards, rules, regulations, codes , laws, procedures, time line with respect to the implementation of ethics and integrity regimes within the freight forwarding practice”
Speaking earlier, President of NAGAFF; Chief Eugene Nweke told his guest that the association is an umbrella body in Nigeria for logistics and freight forwarding practitioners.
Nweke said that the maritime industry is expected to make N7trillion as revenue, but added that most times revenue collected is not up to N5trillion because of corruption.
The NAGAFF President added the association is concerned about how to reduce corruption in the ports. Nweke said that the association wants to observe due process in port operations.
He said corruption is a risk to maritime business thus there is need to expose those found wanting.
According to Nweke, NAGAFF is a warehouse for professionals in the logistics chain management.
The association President further stated that the freight forwarding sector has discovered that there is need for interaction among practitioners to address corruption.
However, the NAGAFF boss advised operators to shun corruption.
Also speaking, Chairman ACTU of NAGAFF; Chief Increase Uche expressed the association’s ACTU loyal support to government in fighting corruption in the port, saying that no stone will be left unturned.
He added that the NAGAFF unit will ensure that corruption will be reduced from port operation, urging the ICPC that whenever they are called upon for assistance they should not relent.
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