By Emmanuel Obisue
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan has disclosed that efficient and effective service delivery in the Federal Civil Service has for long been challenged and constrained by a myriad of problems associated with corruption.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties Office, Engr. Farouk Yusuf, the HoS stated this on Monday while declaring open a one-day in-house Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit, ACTU Sensitization Programme for Directorate Cadre Officers GL. 15-17 in the OHCSF.
The programme, according to the OHCSF, is part of efforts to drive awareness and identify existing gaps in the anti-corruption initiatives that have been put in place by the present administration to sensitise public officers on the need to promote transparency, discipline and accountability in the Service.
The HoS added that it had become imperative to make deliberate efforts to address the menace of corruption that has continued to portray Nigeria in a bad light.
The perm sec reiterated that the Federal Government, through the OHCSF had considered and approved the request of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC on the establishment of ACTU in all Ministries, extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies, MDAs.
He further emphasized the strategic roles of ACTUs in MDAs and the need for commitment and diligent pursuit of efforts that seek to promote openness and discourage all forms of corrupt tendencies, amongst civil servants.
In his presentation, ICPC Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanye, represented by Head, Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation System Study and Review Department, Olayinka Aiyegbayo, disclosed that the mandate of ACTU is to review, on periodic basis, the systems, procedures and operations of public institutions, in order to ascertain institutional vulnerabilities that engender corruption.
The ACTU Chairman in the OHCSF, Chukwuka Anthony in his Vote of Thanks, urged civil servants to be agents of change in the discharge of their duties, and be good ambassadors of the Service.
