As part of the efforts to curb corrupt practices in public service, staff of the ministry of works and housing have been urged to be transparent and obey the rules and regulations guiding the operations of their schedules as they carry out their assignments.
The minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola gave the charge at a sensitisation seminar for the ministry’s officers on corruption trends in the public service.
The theme of the seminar is “Corruption Trends in Public Service, Causes and Impact on National Development,” was organised by the Anti- Corruption and Transparency Unit, ACTU at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mabushi, Abuja.
Fashola, represented by the Director Press and Public Relations of the Ministry, Mrs. Blessings Lere-Adams, emphasized that corruption is crime and urged participants to shun it in a bid to live a peaceful retirement life devoid of incessant invitations from anti corruption agencies after retirement.
He added that adopting a corrupt free attitude in the course of duty would enhance Nigeria’s overall development as a nation.
Presenting her paper tagged, “Corruption and It’s Impact,” a facilitator from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Matters Commission, ICPC, Mrs. Adebimpe Abodunrin, ” explained to the participants that every civil servant has been trusted with the assignment given to him and should not be seen betraying it by being corrupt.
‘Public Service is a position of trust , dont betray it,” she said.
She urged participants to exhibit good characters while carrying out their duties as the public service was vitally important and majorly counted when any country was being adjudged corrupt or not by the ranking of Transparency International.
“Public Service contributes to the perception,” Abiodun remarked.
According to her the act of corruption which included abuse of office, dishonesty, breaking of rules and regulations, evil and immoral acts among others were major hindrances to any nation’s development and should be shunned completely by Nigerians in all sectors if Nigeria must develop in all areas, noting that individual actions in workplace could either have a negative or positive impact on the entire system.
Abodunrin further gave the effects of corruption on national development to include;
lack of development, high rate of unemployment, lack of qualified personnel, high cost of living, lack of basic amenities, all of these dents Nigeria’s reputation and enhances stigimitization of it’s citizens, loss of welfare system, adding that the monetization policy was introduced because of the high rate of corruptuon within the public service.
Another Facilitator from ICPC, Mrs Joy Ebbah, while taking the participants through ethical behaviour in workplace, explained that the ethics of an organisation are the statues and policies of that organisation.
She noted that maintaining an ethical workplace simply means maintaining professional workplace as well as ability to obey rules and regulations guiding their offices.
Ebbah, while calling on ACTU to constantly review and update if necessary the code of ethics of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, affirmed that Nations have failed due to the workers’ failure to abide by ethical rules by developing good and professional characters such as transparency and obedience.
Ebbah urged participants to develop a mindset of commitment and obedience if Nigeria must attain its national development.
