Nigerians, including journalists and anti-institutions corruption stakeholders have expressed disappointment with the zero grade performance of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in an ICPC integrity ranking in 2024, urging strict sanctions against non-compliance.
The test which is based the on the Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative-Phase 6 and the 2024 Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS)Introduction Compliment of the season considered compliance with governance, financial guidelines, transparency, accountability, among other fundamental anti-corruption checks.
“Many MDAs failed to conduct any forms of system studies or render financial and audit reports”, EFCC spokesman, Mr Demola Bakare disclosed to journalists.
At a World Press Conference on Thursday in Abuja the Commission said it focused on key sectors of the nation towards judicious utilization of government resources while combating corruption.
Bakare stated that none of the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, MDAs, in the country complied fully with ethical standards, policies, and anti-corruption measures in the passing year.
The 2024 Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS), reveals that several high-profile institutions, including the Supreme Court and the Nigeria Press Council (NPC), received a dismal score of zero points. Conversely, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) emerged as the standout performers, each scoring above 80 percent in the integrity assessment conducted by the anti-graft agency.
The report also unveiled that other institutions such as the Federal University of Agriculture Umudike, Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Federal Polytechnic Ede, and the University of Ibadan also received zero points.
This was following the findings from the Commission’s Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS) for the MDAs.
The report highlighted that no MDA out of 330 MDAs that were assessed through physical deployment by ICPC teams achieved full compliance.
“This year, 2024, the tool covered 323 responsive MDAs, with 15 MDAs non-responsive and categorised as high corruption risk”, ICPC noted.
The EICS serves as a preventive tool used to assess and enhance the compliance of MDAs with ethical standards, policies, and anti-corruption measures.
Findings from the report indicated that no MDA achieved full compliance, while 29.55 per cent of MDAs captured attained substantial compliance, and 51.62 per cent had partial compliance.
The report also observed that 15.91 per cent showed poor compliance, while 2.92 per cent were non-compliant.
According to the report, common gaps included a lack of whistle-blower policies, strategic plans, and effective stock verification units, adding that many MDAs failed to conduct any forms of system studies or render financial and audit reports.
“It is imperative to inform you that this initiative has yielded some positive and value-driven impacts, and these are, but not limited to, increased awareness and compliance with anti-corruption measures, enhanced competition among MDAs to meet criteria, and improved procurement processes and data reliability.
“The Commission recognises the MDAs with substantial compliance and will continue deploying these tools to promote integrity and accountability.
“Non-compliant MDAs will face necessary actions, including enforcement, to ensure adherence to government directives. We are certain that these efforts will continue to underline ICPC’s dedication to enhancing good governance and preventing corruption,” Bakare emphasized.
the agencies fell into various compliance categories: 29.55 percent showed significant compliance, 51.62 percent had moderate compliance, 15.91 percent demonstrated weak compliance, and 2.92 percent failed to comply.
noted that this poor performance indicates the urgent need for reform and improvement in these institutions.
He said; “The EICS serves as a preventive tool used to assess and enhance the compliance of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) with ethical standards, policies, and anti-corruption measures.” He further explained that the evaluation examined key areas such as leadership and management, financial management, and policies related to ethics, education, and whistleblower protection.
The report indicated that none of the government agencies fell into various compliance categories
It identified common weaknesses to include a lack of policies to protect whistleblowers and ineffective inventory management, which the ICPC stated undermined the agencies’ ability to operate efficiently and transparently.
Others are failure to conduct regular internal audits and delayed or missing financial and audit reports.
Earlier on Wednesday, in a related development, ICPC Chairman Musa Adamu Aliyu had disclosed that the commission secured 16 convictions and tracked 1,500 projects valued at N610 billion over the past year. “In the past year, the commission processed 851 petitions, fully investigated 95 cases, and filed 72 cases in court, securing 16 convictions,” Aliyu reported.
The findings of the ICPC’s integrity ranking serve as a wake-up call for institutions across Nigeria, emphasizing the critical need for enhanced accountability and ethical governance to combat corruption effectively.
