ABUJA (Federal Ministry of Aviation Report)
The Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka has avowed government’s readiness to end the low – level corruption in the nation’s airports. He said this recently during a working visit to the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ekpo Nta in his office.
The Minister mentioned that the Ministry of Aviation was in the ICPC to seek their support in tackling the low – level corruption in Nigerian airports and to demand the ICPC to come over to the airports to help. Adding, the image of Nigeria as a corrupt country is fuelled, accentuated and entrenched by the experience which foreigners and Nigerians get at the first point of entry at the airports.
According to him, Nigeria has been suffering from lack of investment in critical sectors globally, the period of goods clearance at the airport has been discouraging and the process has been hampered by deliberate delay by the agencies involved with clearance. The Minister revealed that the delay are in the form of prolonged welcoming and insistence on undue search which create the image of sustained corruption at the airports.
“Since the Ministry does not have the technical competence and resources to deal with this low – level corruption, partnership with the ICPC is pertinent to launch a campaign against the low – level corruption. This will help to deliver high quality service and also serve as deterrent to agencies involved in perpetrating corruption across Nigerian airports,” he said.
“The Global Corruption – Free Day coming up on December 9th, 2014 will be an opportunity for the ICPC in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to spearhead the fight against low level corruption in the airports and to also build a system that will make passengers go through the airports without harassment.”
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of ICPC, Ekpo Nta while receiving the Minister said that the issue of corruption is a common denominator in all sectors; indicating that the initiative towards bringing it to an end, especially in the aviation sector was properly conceived. He commended the Minister for the prominence given to the Anti-corruption and Transparency Unit of the Ministry over fighting corruption in the sector. The Chairman pledged the Commission’s total commitment to collaborating with the Ministry of Aviation to wipe out corruption in all the airports.
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