BY PETER OKUTU

ABAKALIKI – ANTI-corruption and Transparency Monitoring Unit of the National Board for Technical Education, ACTU-NBTE, weekend, called on rectors of federal polytechnics across the country to ensure that a functional anti-corruption monitoring team or unit was established in their institutions.

Chairman of ACTU-NBTE, Alhaji Jauro Jibrin, who made the call during an interactive session with ACTU members in Unwana, Afikpo North Council of Ebonyi state, pointed out that a functional unit of such capacity would help to uncompromisingly checkmate the activities of corrupt staff of federal polytechnics in the country.

Jibrin also urged polytechnics to emulate the management and members of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, by setting up effective anti-corruption monitoring teams in their institutions and commended the institution for their level of compliance in establishing a functional anti-corruption and transparency monitoring unit headed by Dr. O.O Nnachi.

The chairman, who lead the Compliance Monitoring and Evaluation team, CME made up of representatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC disclosed that the visit was necessitated by the NBTE Executive Secretary’s concern for the unravelling of some allegations against the staff of the institution.

Commending AIFP for its compliance level, Jibrin noted that the allegations of corruption were impacting negatively on the image of the Polytechnic sector pointing out that a strong ACTU was desirable to help the management to maintain a transparent system while assisting ACTU to discharge its duties diligently without undue interference.

According to him: “The visit was essentially aimed at providing a platform for anti-corruption advocacy, public enlightenment, system study and review as some of the preventive and proactive measures. It was also to create opportunity for an interactive meeting between the ACTU NBTE/EFCC/ICPC visiting team on one hand and ACTU members of the respective polytechnics on the other and administer the compliance monitoring and evaluation questionnaire instruments.

“ACTUs are to be established in all Ministries, departments and Agencies, (MDAs) in conformity with the directive of the office of the Head, civil Service of the Federation, (OHCSF). The visit was as a result of Executive Secretary NBTE’s concern for the numerous corruption allegations, most of which were unsubstantiated and frivolous, but were impacting negatively on the image of the polytechnic sector. We commend the management and members of ACTU, of Akanu Ibiam Polytechnic for their level of compliance in establishing an effective and functional ACTU”.

He enjoined the management to look into some of the constraints’ faced by ACTU in the institution even as he stated that some of the challenges included office accommodation and equipment, funding and sitting allowances for members and operational guidelines of ACTUs in MDAs.

Earlier, the Rector of Akanu Ibiam Polytechnic, Unwana, Prof. Francis O. Otunta, noted that having an effective Anti-Corruption and transparency monitoring unit in place was in the interest of the management, assuring that with the new buildings under construction in the polytechnic, ACTU would soon have its office complex operational in the institution.

Prof. Otunta assured the visiting team of his continuous support to ACTU in his school and expressed gratitude to them for the ideas, pleas and suggestions made towards increasing the functionality and efficiency of ACTU in the institution.