Supreme Court, NAHCON, UI, OAU are ‘high corruption risks’ — ICPC

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has drawn up a list of 15 ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) tagged as “high corruption risks” in its latest integrity report.

The commission released the report in Abuja on Thursday, with the list including the likes of the Supreme Court, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), and the University of Ibadan (UI).

The ICPC surveyed no fewer than 330 MDAs in the report titled ‘Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (ECIS) of MDAs of the Federal Government of Nigeria.’

The anti-graft agency stated that of the 308 MDAs successfully assessed, 15 were non-responsive, while seven were exempted based on exigent government policy.

“The scorecard measured institutional integrity through three key performance indicators: management culture and structure, financial management system, and administrative system, which are considered the bedrock of organisational performance and success,” the report read.

“The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) placed first in the ranking with an 89.75 score, while the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) came second with 89.33 points, and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading PLC (NBET) placed third with an 88.73 score.”

The Supreme Court, Nigeria Press Council (NPC), NAHCON, UI, and Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) were, however, among the MDAs that had no points.

Addressing newsmen at the release of the report, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare said the ECIS is a preventive tool used to assess and enhance compliance in MDAs with ethical standards, policies, and anti-corruption measures.

“This year, 2024, the tool covered 323 responsive MDAs, with 15 MDAs non-responsive and categorized as high corruption risks,” Bakare said.

“The objectives of the initiative are to identify organisational gaps and provide actionable insights, advise the government on policy development for oversight, promote self-evaluation and remedial actions within MDAs, and establish an objective rating of MDAs to foster improvement.

“According to the findings, no MDA achieved full compliance, 29.55 per cent attained substantial compliance, 51.62 per cent had partial compliance, 15.91 per cent showed poor compliance, and 2.92 per cent were non-compliant.”