The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr Rufus Ebegba has charged the officers of the newly inaugurated Anti-corruption and transparency unit (ACTU) of the Agency to carry out their duties diligently while ensuring transparency and accountability.
The DG, who said this while inaugurating the unit in Abuja today, (20/10/2020), noted that the unit is expected to lay the foundation for transparency and due diligence in the NBMA.
“The NBMA is a regulatory Agency and as such, is expected to be handling various activities as they concern regulation of modern Biotechnology, new and emerging modern technologies, such as gene drive, gene editing, synthetic and ensuring Biosecurity in the country, that is why it is important to have the consciousness of transparency so that staff do not get carried away in the course of the discharge of their duties.
“The Unit is expected to ensure accountability in every aspect including the legal aspect by portraying the Agency in a good light as there is need for all to be guided and the aim of the unit is to ensure that due diligence is carried out in the Agency, to ensure that fraud is prevented, detected and if need be prosecution takes place.
Dr Ebegba said the officers coopted into this unit have been carefully selected from various departments and units that cut across the relevant sections of the Agency, after proper background checks have been carried out on them.
He added that the Agency will not hesitate to remove anyone whose conduct does not meet with the requirements of the the unit.
In a remark chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji Owasanoye who was represented by Dio Emmanuel, congratulated the newly inaugurated members for being found worthy to serve in this capacity and implored them to showcase high ethical standards and starling examples worthy of being emulated.
He said the ACTU initiative is expected to compliment the management of the NBMA especially in mainstreaming a positive integrity and accountability culture in the organization.
He urged the management to support the unit by providing adequate funding for its duties as well as incorporating the members as observers in various standing committees as provided in the extant circulars of the federal government.
Prof. Owasanoye expressed hope that with the creation of this unit, the relationship between the ICPC and the NBMA will wax stronger for the overall growth and progress of the country.
Chairman of the newly inaugurated unit Mr Jimmy Oguntade while commending the efforts of the DG/CEO in ensuring that transparency and accountability is maintained in the Agency, pledged that the team will ensure they deliver on the task given to them.
