The Federal government has reinforced its drive for transparency and responsibility in the education sector with the inauguration of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency System (ACTU) Committee in the Federal Ministry of Education.
The inauguration, held in Abuja on Wednesday, belongs to efforts to promote ethical governance, institutional integrity and reliable public service shipment in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, explained ACTU as an important mechanism for promoting due process, ethical conduct and compliance with civil service guidelines across the ministry and its firms.
He worried that as the institution responsible for formulating and carrying out nationwide education policies, the ministry must maintain the greatest standards of professionalism, integrity and accountability. According to him, corruption remains a major challenge to nationwide development, diverting resources indicated for education and weakening public confidence.
Enitan charged members of the freshly inaugurated committee to release their duties with guts, diligence, patriotism and impartiality while promoting ethical conduct, anti-corruption awareness, system reforms and rigorous compliance with existing guidelines.
He likewise urged staff of the ministry to accept its impressive worths– Efficiency, Productivity, Incorruptibility and Citizen-Centred Service– adding that stability remains the foundation for quality education shipment and excellence in civil service.
Representing the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Associated Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Adamu Aliyu, ICPC official Olusegun Adigun applauded the ministry for revitalising its ACTU, explaining the move as a significant milestone in strengthening its internal anti-corruption framework.
Adigun described that ACTU, developed through a partnership in between the ICPC and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, acts as a preventive and advisory body for promoting stability and responsibility within federal government organizations.
He noted that the reconstituted committee would manage anti-corruption sensitisation, principles promo, corruption danger assessments, system reviews, budget plan execution monitoring, promo of the Ethics and Integrity Promise, and preliminary investigations into complaints of unethical conduct.
Previously, the Director of Unique Responsibilities, Murtala Tanko, described the inauguration as a demonstration of the ministry’s dedication to transparency, responsibility and ethical governance. He prompted members to support management in attaining quality service delivery through strict adherence to public service rules and standard operating procedures.
Responding on behalf of the committee, ACTU Chairman Malik Guni Kuje thanked the ministry for the self-confidence reposed in members and promised transparent, accountable and collective management. He assured stakeholders that the committee would enhance preventive measures against corruption through continual sensitisation, policy evaluations and rigorous compliance with civil service guidelines and ICPC guidelines.
The event likewise featured the administration of the Oath of Loyalty on members of the committee, highlighting the Federal Ministry of Education’s renewed commitment to transparency, responsibility and efficient management of public resources beforehand quality education across Nigeria.