The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) is developing a code of conduct to guide the behaviour of the staff in protecting wildlife and the environment.
The move, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), was part of the corruption risk assessment and mitigation for frontline wildlife and forest authorities in Nigeria, which aligns with the implementation of the strategic objectives of Article 5 of the National Strategy to Combat Wildlife and Forest Crimes in Nigeria 2022-2026.
Speaking at the workshop in Abuja, NESREA Director General, Dr Innocent Barikor, said the document will play an important role in protecting the environment, and it will necessitate the adoption of standards and guidelines to govern the actions of staff.
“Institutions of this nature must be able to display certain qualities and identify basic strategies in the pursuit of its mandate. The code will equally address issues of ethics, and promote professionalism, mutual respect, and integrity, as well as instill a sense of responsibility,” Barikor said.
Earlier, UNODC National Programme Officer, Office on Corruption Risk Mitigation, Mr Francis Umendiego, applauded NESREA for seeking to entrench a Code of Conduct for staff, saying it would further improve efforts to tackle wildlife trafficking in the country.
Also, an Anti-Corruption and Ethics Consultant, Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa, called on the workers to abide by its provisions to ensure maximum output and improve service delivery.
