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ICPC partners with BPP, AGF’s office to tackle corruption in electricity, MDAs, others

Photo Collage: ForefrontNG

*The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission vows to fight corruption-related matters arising from estimated billings, illegal selling of meters, and other related offences in the electricity sector of the Nigerian economy

*Unfair business practices against consumers are not abating, and the expected support given to SMEs by funders is minimal in the country, says Comrade Princewill Okorie, National President, Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA-Nigeria)

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has indicated its willingness to collaborate with the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAuGF) and Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in addressing the reported cases of corruption in the government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Nigeria.

While urging electricity regulatory bodies to join hands in the prevention of electricity-related corruption in the country also, the anti-graft agency has promised to tackle corruption-related matters arising from estimated billings, illegal selling of meters, and other related offences in the electricity sector.

ICPC noted that the incessant complaints about high billings of electricity tariffs by power regulators and electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) are becoming widespread in the country in recent times.

ConsumerConnect learnt Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, Chairman of ICPC, disclosed this while speaking at a recent consultation meeting of business membership organisations and electricity regulatory bodies organised by the Association of Public Policy Analysis (APPA-Nigeria), in Abuja, FCT.

Prof. Owasanoye, represented by Malam Hassan Salihu at the forum, Assistant Commissioner in the Commission, also urged Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), and electricity regulatory bodies to join hands in the prevention of electricity-related corruption in the country.

According to ICPC Chairman, the Commission has articulated the National Ethics and Integrity Policy, which is geared towards instilling lost values as a norm in the lives of Nigerians, according to report.

The seven core values of the Policy include Human Dignity, Voice and Participation, Patriotism, Personal Responsibility, Integrity, National Unity, and Professionalism, stated he.

Owasanoye further said that ICPC is working to ensure accountability across the public and private sectors of the economy through the implementation of these core values.

It would enable people working in the sectors to shun all forms of corruption, he noted.

The Chairman of ICPC added the Commission is empowered by its enabling law to carry out system studies and reviews in government agencies and departments towards mitigating the occurrence of corrupt activities in such organisations in the country.

Dikko Umaru Radda, Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), represented by Mrs. Olabanjo Fowler, an Assistant Director, Partnership and Coordination at SMEDAN, in his address on the occasion, said that it was the responsibility of SMEDAN to formulate and implement policies that would ensure the ease of doing business to make MSMEs competitive in the global market.

Radda also stated that the multiplier effects of high electricity tariffs, poor transmission distribution, and erratic supply of electricity on businesses are significant.

They will increase MSMEs production costs, and would reduce their competitiveness in the global market, he said.

The SMEDAN Director-General advised other relevant agencies to partner with the agency in identifying the possible areas of intervention as it relates to electricity consumption protection in Nigeria.

Comrade Princewill Okorie, National President, Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA-Nigeria), in his paper titled, “Mobilising Stakeholders for Protection of SME Electricity Consumers Against unfair Business Practices through Enforcement of Electricity Consumers Protection Licensee Performance Standards for Job Creation and Economic Growth” the said that micro, small and medium enterprises operators have continued to complain over abuse of their rights as consumers of electricity.

Okorie noted that the burning issues have affected the SME operators, who need electricity to carry out their production and services by hindering operations and increasing their costs of production as they resort to using generators at an additional cost as well as paying unjustified exorbitant bills.

According to him, the unfair business practices against consumers are not abating while the expected support given to SMEs by funders is minimal.

Commission recovers N53billion from real estate developer

IN a related development, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has recovered N53 billion from a real estate developer for the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN).

Prof. Owasanoye disclosed this during a meeting with the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee Investigating the Operations of Real Estate Developers, in Abuja.

He said that the developer took the money without providing houses for its subscribers, agency report said.

The Commission would always deploy its mandates against developers who took public funds with the promise to provide houses for public or civil servants without doing so, he stated.

The ICPC Chief also noted that unscrupulous real estate developers in the FCT took advantage of desperate civil servants to scam them of their hard-earned money in the name of housing projects.

He disclosed the Commission is desirous of partnering with the House Ad-Hoc Committee to bring sanity to the housing sector because of its critical nature to the Nigerian Government.

He suggested one of the ways to tackle housing deficit and fraudulent real estate developers in the country is for government to completely deploy technology as well as grant easy access to information in the country.

“The lack of openness is also creating problems.

“Government should at least put information in the public domain where people can easily verify details of land,” Owasanoye noted.

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