The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has taken a significant step towards enhancing transparency and ethical governance by partnering with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to implement two key anti-corruption tools: the Ethics and Compliance Scorecard and the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit Effectiveness Index.
The move, marked by a formal visit from the ICPC to the Customs Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, reflects the agency’s commitment to institutional integrity and aligns with broader federal directives aimed at combating corruption across public service institutions.
Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, Assistant Comptroller-General Isah Umar welcomed the initiative, describing it as a vital measure to assess and strengthen ethical conduct within the service.
“This oversight initiative is a timely one. It complements our ongoing reforms to instill professionalism, accountability, and a more citizen-oriented approach to service,” Umar stated. “We have prepared the necessary documentation for this assessment and look forward to constructive engagement with the ICPC for sustained improvement.”
Other senior Customs officials, including Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba of the Customs Intelligence Unit and Comptroller Hannel Hadison of Special Duties, affirmed that the ACTU has already been institutionalised within the NCS, with active desk officers promoting anti-corruption messaging and monitoring internal compliance across its commands.
Speaking on behalf of the ICPC, Team Lead Umar Sani explained that the deployment of the EICS and AEI forms part of the Commission’s annual preventive strategy for government agencies. According to him, these tools serve to evaluate the ethical health of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), while also identifying gaps in transparency and accountability.
“The Scorecard and Effectiveness Index are designed not just as compliance checks, but as early warning tools to help agencies reinforce their internal systems before problems arise,” Sani said.
He noted that the EICS assesses MDAs across four key areas: management structure and culture, financial systems, administrative processes, and the operational effectiveness of ACTUs.
The ACTU, he added, remains a cornerstone of anti-corruption efforts within MDAs, tasked with educating staff, monitoring conduct, and facilitating reporting mechanisms in partnership with the ICPC.