The Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR) has said that it would collaborate with stakeholders in the maritime industry to tackle corruption in Nigerian ports.
Head of TUGAR, Ms Lillian Ekeanjanwu said this at a meeting organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and others Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Lagos last week.
The meeting had the theme: “Prevent Corruption by Strengthening Accountability and Integrity Mechanism within the Nigerian Ports sector“.
The Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR) has said that it would collaborate with stakeholders in the maritime industry to tackle corruption in Nigerian ports.
Head of TUGAR, Ms Lillian Ekeanjanwu said this at a meeting organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and others Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Lagos last week.
The meeting had the theme: “Prevent Corruption by Strengthening Accountability and Integrity Mechanism within the Nigerian Ports sector“.
Ekeanjanwu, said that the collaboration would assist stakeholders to operate in transparent and corruption-free ports and would also ease business transactions at the ports.
According to her, the meeting has flagged off the Corruption Risk Assessment (CRA) of the ports sector in the country.
“As a part of the preventive mechanisms, we are conducting a risk assessment of the ports in Nigeria.
“The risk assessment will enable us to find out the vulnerabilities at the ports and we will develop integrity plans to address the vulnerabilities,“ Ekeanjanwu said.
She said that this new risk assessment would make business transactions faster and less expensive.
Miss Marit Trodal, the Public Manager, Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN), said that corruption at the ports could only be tackled with the collaboration of stakeholders.
Trodal urged stakeholders to join MACN to fight corruption at the ports and rid the maritime industry of corruption.
Mr Ekpo Nta, ICPC Chairman, represented by Alhaji Ozi Salami, a director in the commission, said that risk assessment in Nigeria ports would improve the growth and development of the economy.
Nta said that maritime sector was one of the highest revenue generating agencies in the country that must be guarded jealously to avoid loss of resources and efficient monitoring.
“One of the functions of ICPC, as contained in section 6 (b) of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2000, is to examine the practices, systems and procures of public biddies,“ he said.
Nta said that CRA was a corruption preventive tool that would work with any management to identify vulnerable areas that were prone to corruption.
“ To execute this assessment in the ports we have developed a set of 20 trained and certify corruption risk assessment who would work with an inter-Agency Advisory Committee and a team of consultants.
“ The target ports are Lagos, Onne, Calabar and Warri. We solicit the cooperation of stakeholders to assist in the assignment, “ Nta said.
Prof. Sam Egwu of the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) said the meeting was in line with the Nigerian Government's efforts to address impediments to foreign direct investment.
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