The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Limited and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have agreed to partner to tackle fraudulent practices and enforce discipline.
Mr Adesanya Adejokun, Technical Adviser (Media) to the Managing Director of NDPHC, Engr. Jennifer Adighije said this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.
Adejokun said that the agreement was reached during a courtesy visit by the Managing Director of NDPHC Engr. Jennifer Adighije and her management to the Executive Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede in Abuja on Wednesday,
He said that the visit was to assist NDPHC to effectively deliver on its mandate to Nigerians.
The NDPHC boss told her host that she and her team were visiting EFCC first to familiarise themselves with the agency and then seek Olukoyede’s cooperation while being guided by extant laws and regulations.
She said that the collaboration between the two organisations would also help to tackle dishonest contractors and enforce discipline
Adighije said that the NDPHC team was determined to uphold strict compliance with regulations, laws and uphold the tenets of transparency.
.“I have professional experience cutting across the private and public sectors having last served in the procurement department of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which entrenched in me the culture and habit of following due process.
“The culture of due process will now be strictly enforced at the NDPHC,”she said.
Responding, the EFCC boss congratulated Adighije and other executive directors on their recent appointment and tasked them on adhering to the principles of integrity and accountability.
He said” public service “is a privilege that demands an unwavering commitment to probity” and explained that corrupt practices by public officials would be revisited even after vacating offices.
According to him, EFCC and NDPHC are responsible for two of Nigeria’s most urgent issues which are corruption elimination and power supply which will significantly help in the nation’s advancement towards development.p
”I advise you not to do anything you cannot defend tomorrow. We have seen situations where people were recalled 20 years after leaving public service to answer for what they did while in office.
”Positions of trust demand utmost transparency and accountability.“If you fix power and energy, you have taken care of 77 per cent of Nigeria’s problems.
”Corruption as well, if we get it right, Nigeria will be out of its troubles,” he said.
While commending NDPHC’s efforts to uphold due process and readiness to improve its regulatory compliance, Olukoyede pledged EFCC’s support to company if any of its contractors fail to fulfil their contractual duties.
He said that going forward, the EFCC and NDPHC’s collaboration would discourage dishonest contractors and enforce discipline among them.
“If you have awarded contracts and some people have not performed, or if some of your power stations have been given to certain people to maintain but they have violated financial laws, procurement processes, or other regulations, let us know,” he said.