The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has raised concerns over the lukewarm attitude of several Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) towards institutional anti-corruption efforts, indicting 92 MDAs for failing to establish Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units (ACTUs).
The Commission made this known on Tuesday during an investigative hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption in Abuja.
According to a report presented at the session, the ICPC disclosed that while 127 MDAs had weak or ineffective ACTUs as of the end of 2024, 92 others were yet to establish the mandatory units. It also noted that five MDAs had ACTUs only in name, thereby undermining the government’s broader anti-corruption objectives.
Delivering the Commission’s position, ICPC Chairman, Musa Ali, who was represented by Mr Olusegun Adigun, revealed that only 84 MDAs currently operate functional ACTUs.
Ali acknowledged that despite these challenges, the Commission has developed strategic approaches to combat corruption within public institutions. He, however, decried several setbacks facing ACTUs, including poor funding, political interference, lack of political will, institutional resistance to reform, and insufficient support from leadership.
He further recommended continuous training for ACTU members, greater stakeholder engagement, and enhanced public awareness of the unit’s role within the civil service.
Declaring the hearing open, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, represented by Umar Ajilo, said the session was a proactive measure to assess the performance of ACTUs and reinforce accountability within MDAs.
“This is not a witch-hunt but a strategic intervention. Corruption continues to erode public trust and stall our national development. We must reaffirm our resolve and take decisive action,” Abbas said.
He reminded stakeholders that ACTUs were established to monitor and prevent corrupt practices and to entrench a culture of transparency and ethical conduct in the public sector. However, he emphasised that their effectiveness hinges on political will and strong institutional backing.
“This hearing gives us an opportunity to evaluate the functionality of ACTUs, engage with stakeholders, and consider legislative measures to strengthen them,” he added. “We must dismantle the frameworks that enable corruption and institutionalise transparency and accountability.”
Also speaking, Chairman of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption, Kayode Akiolu, described the hearing as critical to Nigeria’s democratic consolidation. He recalled that ACTUs were first mandated in 2001 and 2003 through circulars from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, as part of ICPC’s efforts to decentralise the fight against corruption.
“These units were created based on the understanding that civil servants are best placed to detect and prevent corrupt practices within their institutions,” Akiolu said. “Through ACTUs, ICPC has effectively extended its reach to over 400 MDAs without expanding its workforce—a commendable innovation in public sector governance.”
He, however, acknowledged that while some ACTUs had delivered on their mandate, others had failed to uphold their responsibilities, with a few allegedly complicit in corrupt practices themselves.
“Our mandate is not just to assess performance but to insist on institutional integrity. We must make it unequivocally clear that corruption has no place in governance—whether from within or outside,” he asserted.
In her remarks, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Esther Didi Walson-Jack, represented by Director of Finance and Accounts, Emeka Aziwe, admitted that despite operational constraints, some ACTUs have made tangible progress.
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