Enugu trains top officials on anti-corruption compliance, financial regulations

The Enugu State Government has organized a two-day capacity-building programme aimed at strengthening compliance with anti-corruption policies and regulatory financial frameworks among public officials.

The training, which began yesterday, was targeted at elected officials, appointees, principal officers and senior government officials to promote transparency, accountability and adherence to public financial management regulations.

Speaking during the training, Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah said that the training, facilitated by Xavine Consulting Limited, was intended to strengthen compliance with anti-corruption laws, financial regulations and emerging tax policies as well as equip participants with the knowledge required to uphold ethical standards and improve public sector governance.

Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Chidiebere Onyia, said that corruption remains one of the greatest obstacles to development because resources are diverted through fraudulent practices, thus directly reducing the government’s capability to provide essential social services.

“Every naira lost to corruption, financial misconduct and non-compliance often deprives the people of the state of quality social services and critical infrastructure,” the governor said.

“Therefore, Enugu State, under our leadership, set out three governance principles that would serve as a guide for our governance thinking and delivery strategy —Transparency, Traceability and Accountability. These three pillars have informed a lot of our procurement and systems-thinking model, our e-governance initiatives and our financial management across the state,”.

He also urged participants to cascade the knowledge acquired to their colleagues in their various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and assured that the government would continue to monitor compliance across the public service.

In his presentation, Justin Kuatsea noted that corruption had become deeply entrenched in Nigeria and could only be addressed through collective action and exemplary leadership.

Kuatsea, who is a retired Deputy Director, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), maintained that the anti-corruption fight must begin with individuals in their homes, workplaces and communities, while political leaders must lead by example by demonstrating integrity and accountability.

Kuatsea identified employment irregularities, recruitment abuses, concealment of official files, irregular promotions, contract inflation, payments for unexecuted contracts and other financial misconduct as common corruption indicators in the public service.

Earlier, the Managing Director of Xavine Consulting Limited, coordinator of the training, Catherine Kadiri, said that it was designed to ensure that civil servants fully understand anti-corruption policies, financial regulatory frameworks and emerging taxation laws.

Kadiri said that the programme would significantly tackle ignorance of ethical and operational standards in the public service, noting that participants would gain practical knowledge applicable to their respective roles.

She disclosed that 16 resource persons, including experts from the ICPC and Nigeria’s financial regulatory sector, were engaged to facilitate the sessions and expose participants to global best practices in governance and compliance.

“There should be no excuse for non-compliance,” she said. “This programme is designed to ensure public officers understand the dos and don’ts of governance, financial regulations and anti-corruption frameworks,”. “We are also adding integrity to the core pillars so participants leave with the right values to drive good governance,” Kadiri concluded.

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