ICPC decries corruption among port operators 

Tayo Oladipupo      |        

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission (ICPC) has called on the Federal Government to take drastic and urgent actions on revenue leakages in the Oil and Gas industries so that the country will not grind to a standstill. 

The Acting Chairman of ICPC, Dr. Musa Usman Abubakar made the call Thursday at a public function in Lagos.

While lamenting the danger associated with revenue leakages occasioned by corruption, he stated that the agency would continue to welcome engagements to mull the malady.

According to him, lack of accountability and transparency among other vices has led to abject poverty, inadequate infrastructural and social amenities, poor standard of living and low per capital income.

Speaking further, the ICPC boss who was represented at the event by Akeem Lawal, Director Integration, ICPC, said that if the level of revenue leakages was allowed to continue, the economy of the country might bleed to death.

He therefore called on all stakeholders to devise a workable strategy to find a lasting solution to money laundering by public officers.

“The activities of all the MDAs in the various ports, the clearing agents and other bodies that operate in the port should be further scrutinised because all of them contribute in one way or the other to the revenue leakages.

“Some of them are known to cut corners, thereby under-paying or not paying at all the official tax or tariff which form substantial part of the leakage”.

Speaking on the efforts of the agency on the course so far, he said that in 2013, in furtherance if its statutory power, the anti-graft agency conducted Corruption Risk Assessment (CRA) in the ports sector in conjunction with a team of partners consisting TUGAR, BPP, UNDP, MACN and Shippers’ Council.

He stated that the effort culminated in the development of Standard Operational Procedure as well as Integrity Plan even as he said that legislature has a role to play in the process.

Speaking earlier, Chairman House Committee on Anti-Corruption, Prince Olabanji Akinloye said the Oil and Gas and maritime Industries have strong nexus with interwoven features that makes compliment.

“As a ranking lawmaker, who has served in several committees and following development in these two most critical areas of our national economy, I am convinced that Nigeria’s effort at economic diversification needs strong support from these sectors, if we must break through.

“In addition to vast agricultural potentials and millions of productive workforce that can be improved on, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $405.10billion (USD), Nigeria took over from Angola as Africa’s number one oil producer last year.

He added that the National Assembly is an institution concerned about these unpalatable statistics about a rich but poor country at the same time.

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