The Nigeria Shippers’ Council alongside other maritime stakeholders and other institutions has on Monday took to the streets of Lagos with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to say no to corruption in the country.
The walk which is in commemoration of the 2019 International Anti-corruption Day has the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in collaboration with the Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC), Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Others are the Censors Board, National Union of Road Transport Workers and members of the National Youth Service Corps among others.Speaking after the walk, the Executive Secretary of NSC, Barr Hassan Bello, said that the council had instituted a Standard Operating Procedure to fight corruption and ensure that people were not taken advantage of.
The ES who was represented by Director, Legal Services,Mr Samuel Vongtau called for collaboration in the fight, as it concerns everyone.
In his words “Today is a very important day for us all, and we hope that this walk has reached out to a larger number of people in the country, as we know that corruption is a major problem that we face.
“NSC, as one of the agencies that ensures that things are done in the right way, has made its processes automated to ensure transparency,” he said.
He added that Nigeria Shippers’ Council had been in the vanguard of anti-corruption and had since 2001 established a monitoring committee which performed similar function.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Rambo, Zonal Head of EFCC, charged everyone to come together to fight corruption, describing the task as a collective responsibility, adding that we are all an ambassador and a crusader to make Nigeria great again.
“Our individual and collective resolve must foster attitudinal change, we should shun the acquiring of illicit wealth and embrace values that will lead to accountability and transparency at all levels.
“All stakeholders should support the commission to break this chain of corruption in the country; it is our collective responsibility to take Nigeria out of the woods,” he said.
Adding her voice, the Managing Director of Nigeria Port Authority, Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, said that awareness had been created and all parties should come together to fight the cankerworm that has been eating deep into the country.
She said that civil societies had a strong role to play, as everyone had capacity to bring to the table and everyone must stand on the fact that corruption was not acceptable anymore.
“I believe that what is needed is for us to work together, strengthen collaboration, and be united to fight corruption out of the country.
“For us to achieve this, we need to be transparent and accountable across board in all our operations and with whoever we are dealing with,” she quipped.
Representative of the Nigeria Maritime Administrative and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Mr Victor Uwazulike, Director Internal Audit, urged everyone to be responsible in the place of work, adding that delaying papers and work is a form of corruption.
Stressing the agency support for zero tolerance to corruption he said “We are in support of what is going on today as the agency has zero tolerance for corruption. If one does his work very well, all this big grammar will not come to be; if papers come to your table, immediately treat it; give a customer attention when need be,”
He however disclosed that in NIMASA, an anti-corruption and transparency unit exists and is very active in checkmating illegal activities
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