In a renewed push to entrench transparency and uphold ethical standards, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has deployed its Ethics and Compliance Scorecard (EICS) and the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) Effectiveness Index (AEI) in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
The deployment exercise took place on Wednesday, 18 June 2025, at the NCS Headquarters in Abuja, as part of the Commission’s annual strategy to assess and strengthen integrity mechanisms across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Speaking during the visit, the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Headquarters, Isah Umar, who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, described the initiative as a welcome development. He noted that it aligns with the Service’s reform agenda aimed at professionalism, accountability, and citizen-focused service delivery.
“This is a strategic oversight mechanism that speaks directly to our values as an organisation. We are committed to strengthening our internal systems and ensuring that ethical conduct is not only expected but institutionalised,” Umar said.
He assured the ICPC delegation that all necessary documentation had been made available for assessment and expressed the Service’s openness to feedback and collaboration for continuous improvement.
In separate remarks, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba of the Customs Intelligence Unit and Comptroller Hannel Hadison of Special Duties reaffirmed that the NCS had institutionalised the ACTU across all its formations. They added that active desk officers in the Unit are championing anti-corruption education, monitoring compliance, and enhancing transparency.
Team Lead of the ICPC delegation, Umar Sani, stated that the deployment of the tools is part of ICPC’s preventive framework to ensure MDAs comply with established ethical standards and anti-corruption practices.
“The Ethics and Compliance Scorecard and the ACTU Effectiveness Index are preventive instruments used to measure the presence and functionality of ethics structures in MDAs,” he explained.
Sani said the EICS evaluated four key areas: management structure and culture, financial management systems, administrative processes, and ACTU performance. He stressed that ACTUs play a crucial role in sensitising staff, reporting unethical practices, and collaborating with the ICPC to address institutional corruption.
The exercise is expected to enhance transparency, promote accountability, and reinforce the anti-corruption stance of the Nigeria Customs Service in line with federal directives
