Corruption: ICPC to assess Lagos, Abuja airports

TO stamp corruption among airport workers, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission ( ICPC) has announced plans to begin corruption assessment in the Lagos and Abuja airports.

According to the Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Ekpo Nta, the assessment is part of efforts to eliminate corruption among aviation personnel.

Represented by a member of the ICPC Board, Isa Salami, he said the exercise was part of efforts to drive the Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU), signed between the agency and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) last year.

He said the choice of Lagos and Abuja airports was strategic as major gateways into the country, where corrupt practices should be reduced or eliminated to foster a good image for the country .

Speaking during a courtesy visit to FAAN headquarters, the ICPC said it is collaborating with aviation agencies and airport stakeholders to eliminate misdeeds at airports which can easily ruin the image of the country.

He said the ICPC was carrying out a study on corruption around the airports by tackling it from the roots and not the branches.

The anti-corruption drive, he said, would look at the processes, laws and procedures that encourage corruption from the grassroots.

He added that the exercise was not a witch-hunt, but meant to block loopholes in FAAN to remind its officials of the commitment it entered with the authority by sending its officials to swoop in on FAAN to see how its laws, procedures and regulations as well as documentation impacts on corrupt tendencies and how to improve it.

He said the ICPC would continue to carry out corruption assessment on the standards’procedures of FAAN to see areas of vulnerability to sharp practices.

He urged FAAN to cooperate to enable the ICPC implement an integrity plan.

FAAN Managing Director, Saleh Dunoma, who was represented by the Director of Administration, Ikechi Uko, assured of the agency’s cooperation to stamp out corruption from the airports.

He said FAAN was commited to the implementation of the deal it signed with ICPC to eliminate corruption.