ICPC vows to combat corruption in power sector

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has promised to combat corruption in the power sector, including estimated billings and illicit meter sales.

The assurance was given recently by the Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Bolaji Owasanoye (SAN), during a consultation meeting of business membership organizations and electrical regulatory agencies.

He noted during the event organised by the Association of Public Policy Analysis (APPA-Nigeria) in Abuja that the incessant complaints about high electricity billings by distribution companies have become rife.

Owasanoye, who was represented by Mallam Hassan Salihu, an Assistant Commissioner in the Commission, urged Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), and electrical regulatory agencies in Nigeria to work together to avoid energy-related corruption. dies.

The ICPC chairman said that the Commission established the National Ethics and Integrity Policy – Human Dignity, Voice and Participation, Patriotism, Personal Responsibility, Integrity, National Unity, and Professionalism – with the goal of reinstating forgotten ideals as the norm among citizens.

According to him, the ICPC was trying to establish accountability in both the public and private sectors by implementing these key values, saying that doing so would help persons working in the sectors to avoid corruption.

Professor Owasanoye further stated that the Commission was empowered by the law to do system studies and reviews in government agencies and departments to mitigate the occurrence of corrupt activities in such organizations.

Dikko Umaru Radda, Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), said earlier in his welcoming address that the agency formulates and implements policies to make doing business easier and MSMEs more competitive in the global market.

Mrs. Olabanjo Fowler, an Assistant Director, Partnership and Coordination, representing Radda, claimed that the multiplier impacts of high power bills, poor transmission distribution, and electricity supply on companies were undeniably severe.

The SMEDAN boss added that these will increase MSMEs production costs and reduce their competitiveness in the global market.

As a result, he urged other relevant agencies to collaborate in identifying potential areas of intervention in Nigeria for the protection of energy consumption.