Michael Jegede l Wednesday, October 21, 2020
ABUJA, Nigeria -As part of efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in the operations of National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, has set up an anti-corruption unit.
Dr. Ebegba tasked the officers of the newly inaugurated Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of the Agency to carry out their duties conscientiously while ensuring transparency and accountability.
The DG/CEO at the inauguration of the new unit in Abuja on Tuesday noted that it is expected to lay the foundation for transparency and due diligence in the biosafety agency.
According to him, “The NBMA is a regulatory Agency and as such, is expected to be handling various activities as they concern regulation of modern Biotechnology, new and emerging modern technologies, such as gene drive, gene editing, synthetic biology and ensuring Biosecurity in the country, that is why it is important to have the consciousness of transparency so that staff do not get carried away in the course of the discharge of their duties.
“The Unit is expected to ensure accountability in every aspect including the legal aspect by portraying the Agency in a good light as there is need for all to be guided as the aim of the unit is to ensure that due diligence is carried out in the Agency, to ensure that fraud is prevented, detected and if need be prosecution takes place.”
Dr. Ebegba said the officers co-opted into this unit have been carefully selected from various departments and units that cut across the relevant sections of the Agency, after proper background checks have been carried out on them.
He added that the Agency will not hesitate to remove anyone whose conduct does not meet with the requirements of the unit.
In a remark, chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji Owasanoye who was represented by Dio Emmanuel, congratulated the newly inaugurated members for being found worthy to serve in the anti-corruption unit, imploring them to showcase high ethical standards and sterling examples worthy of being emulated.
He said the ACTU initiative is expected to compliment the management of the NBMA especially in mainstreaming a positive integrity and accountability culture in the organization.
He urged the management to support the unit by providing adequate funding for its duties as well as incorporating the members as observers in various standing committees as provided in the extant circulars of the federal government.
Prof. Owasanoye expressed hope that with the creation of this unit, the relationship between the ICPC and the NBMA will wax stronger for the overall growth and progress of the country.
Chairman of the newly inaugurated unit, Mr Jimmy Oguntade, commended the efforts of the DG/CEO in ensuring that transparency and accountability is entrenched in the Agency, pledging that the team will make sure they deliver on the assignment given to them.
