ICPC probes armoured car purchase

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission may have commenced investigation into the controversial purchase of two BMW armoured cars at N255m by the embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah.

Chairman of ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta, gave the hint on Thursday while answering questions at the venue of the Obafemi Awolowo Institute of Governance and Public Policy Lecture in Lagos.

Asked why the anti-graft commission had not commenced investigation into the Oduah saga, Nta responded, “How do you know that things are not happening?. Is it because we don’t go to the pages of newspapers to publicise majority of the things we are doing? I don’t have comment on that because I don’t comment when we begin investigation. I don’t speak on my investigation.”

The ICPC boss who was one of the discussants at the lecture said the country could not curb corruption effectively except total cashless policy is adopted.

He said, “No amount of shouting from mother hen will stop the hawks from continuing to steal, kill and eat its chicks except they stop feeding in the open field. We must design public processes to reduce propensity and access to cash, which cannot be easily tracked. The current cashless banking process and e-payments for salaries, goods and services is already working wonders and reducing corruption in Nigeria.

“With the registration of the SIM card, if it is properly done, can you commit an offence in Nigeria now without being arrested? Because payment in bank must go through e-registration processes, so if you scam me, I can easily trace that bank account. You must open your bank account with certain requirements, so if you commit any offence, you can easily be traced and find out where you are. By the time we get to e-voting, it would solve many electoral malpractices because the e-voting is like the Option A4, where people queue behind their candidate.”

The ICPC chairman explained that in a bid to tackle corruption in the country, the agency was planning to introduce anti-corruption studies in Nigerian universities with material and curricular support from the United Nations Office on drugs and crime.

He said, “ICPC has been actively involved in getting professional groups regulating lawyers, accountants, taxation, education, etc. to rise up to the challenges of regulating and sanctioning erring members. We have joined hands with the Nigerian University Commission to begin the process of weeding out illegal degree awarding mills and we are currently prosecuting some proprietors.”

“ICPC had since 2007, initiated with partnership of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Commission, the National Values Core curricular for the teaching of civics and ethnics in our primary and secondary schools. This year we launched the Teachers Guide to help teachers teach it properly.”