By Lucy Ogalue
The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) has reaffirmed its partnership with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in promoting transparency, accountability and ethical compliance.
Ekpo Nta, Chairman of NSIWC, stated this at the inauguration of the new team of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of the Commission on Thursday in Abuja.
Nta, who was represented by the Acting Secretary, Mr Chiadi Adighiogu, said the collaboration with the ICPC went beyond the establishment of ACTUs.
According to Nta, the Commission has continued to provide the anti-graft agency with vital information on approved remuneration and pay policies and guidelines to aid investigations, prosecutions and settlements.
He said the Commission, which advised government on salaries, incomes, wages and productivity matters, recognised that its work carried far-reaching implications for national growth, fairness and equity.
He expressed the Commission’s desire to deepen its engagement with the ICPC through capacity-building programmes, workshops and seminars.
Nta emphasised that the Commission must operate with the highest standards of probity, impartiality and openness.
He said the newly inaugurated ACTU team had been authorised to serve as an internal watchdog to detect unethical conduct and report such to management, in line with efforts to strengthen the system and uphold accountability.
He commended the ICPC for establishing ACTUs across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as part of efforts to enhance transparency in public service.
The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, represented by Mr Olusegun Adigun, Director, System Study and Review, said the inauguration marked a critical step in equipping ACTU members to effectively carry out their duties.
He said that ACTUs had evolved into key government-recognised mechanisms for identifying systemic weaknesses and promoting ethical compliance across MDAs.
Aliyu outlined the responsibilities of ACTUs to include sensitising staff on anti-corruption issues and conducting preliminary investigations, monitoring budget implementation.
He listed others to include assessing corruption risks, and coordinating the deployment of the Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard.
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