Angered by findings from the Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS) for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) has informed non-compliant MDAs that they will face necessary actions, including enforcement, to ensure adherence to government directives.

According to the EICS scorecard released on Thursday in Abuja by ICPC Spokesperson Demola Bakare, no MDA out of 330 MDAs that were assessed through physical deployment by ICPC teams achieved full compliance.

The EICS, which serves as a preventive tool used to assess and enhance the compliance of MDAs with ethical standards, policies, and anti-corruption measures, aims to identify organisational gaps, provide actionable insights, and advise the government on policy development for oversight.

The EICS was also initiated to promote self-evaluation and remedial actions within MDAs and to establish an objective rating of MDAs to foster improvement.

The assessment covered key indicators such as Management Culture and Structure (MCS): Governance and executive management; Financial Management Systems (FMS): finance, revenue, and audit processes; and Administrative Systems (AS): Policies, ethics education, and whistle-blowing mechanisms.

Findings from the report indicated that no MDA achieved full compliance, while 29.55 per cent of MDAs captured attained substantial compliance, and 51.62 per cent had partial compliance.

The report also observed that 15.91 per cent showed poor compliance, while 2.92 per cent were non-compliant.

According to the report, common gaps included a lack of whistle-blower policies, strategic plans, and effective stock verification units, adding that many MDAs failed to conduct any forms of system studies or render financial and audit reports.

Commenting on the report, Bakare noted: ?This year, 2024, the tool covered 323 responsive MDAs, with 15 MDAs non-responsive and categorised as high corruption risk.

?It is imperative to inform you that this initiative has yielded some positive and value-driven impacts, and these are, but not limited to, increased awareness and compliance with anti-corruption measures, enhanced competition among MDAs to meet criteria, and improved procurement processes and data reliability.

?The Commission recognises the MDAs with substantial compliance and will continue deploying these tools to promote integrity and accountability.

?Non-compliant MDAs will face necessary actions, including enforcement, to ensure adherence to government directives. We are certain that these efforts will continue to underline ICPC?s dedication to enhancing good governance and preventing corruption.? (The Guardian)

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