The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has debunked a report that it is rocked by certificate and age scandal.
The commission said that the report was an attempt to malign its chairman and board members with spurious claims that a plan had been hatched to exonerate offenders tagged “loyalists” and those it claimed had been recruited under the current board.
The commission said it therefore became necessary to set the record straight regarding its ongoing certificate verification exercise.
The clarification made by the spokesman of the commission, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, reads in part:
“The certificate verification exercise commenced in 2019 with the request by the current Board for screening of all officers by the Department of State Services (DSS). The verification by the DSS is aimed at making the process independent and transparent. The exercise is on-going and not yet concluded. Verification exercises have been conducted in the past by the DSS, and therefore the current exercise is not a new one.
“Another routine verification exercise in all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) was commenced by the Federal Government through the IPPIS earlier in the year, to clear discrepancies in public service personnel records. The Commission created an in-house team to carry out verification of its staff records as supplementary to the one set up by the Government.
“This internal verification exercise is still on-going and no report of anomaly has yet been received from the Committee by the Board. That being the case the issue of “soft landing” therefore does not arise and the Daily Trust’s report is preemptive and erroneous.
“The Commission will act on the findings and recommendations of its Verification Exercise Committee, including prosecution of offenders, where necessary.
“The newspaper’s claim that “agitations for the Commission to beam its searchlight on its staff also heightened with the case of an ex-female staff that left the ICPC to join the NDIC but was later sacked upon discovery that she was parading forged credentials” is also inaccurate. It needs to be unequivocally stated that the case of the ex-female staff occurred prior to the assumption of office by the current Board.”
The commission vowed that it would not be distracted by sponsored reports in the media, and threats to the Board as it would continue to execute its mandate and reforms in the commission without fear or favour.
