For the sake of transparency and to fight corruption from within, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has opened its doors wide to integrity checks by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
At a crucial meeting held on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at the Customs Headquarters in Abuja, ICPC officials began the deployment of two important oversight tools — the Ethics and Compliance Scorecard (EICS) and the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) Effectiveness Index (AEI) — aimed at strengthening ethical standards in government agencies.
Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, ACG Isah Umar expressed full support for the initiative. “We’re open to critical review. This aligns with our reforms for better professionalism and service delivery,” he said. He also stressed that NCS had gathered all necessary documents and was ready for full evaluation.
Other top Customs officials also weighed in. Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba of the Customs Intelligence Unit and Comptroller Hannel Hadison of Special Duties explained that ACTUs have already been set up across Customs commands. These units actively engage officers, push anti-corruption messages, and monitor ethical compliance.
For the ICPC, this visit is more than a routine check — it’s part of a national strategy. Umar Sani, who led the ICPC team, said the assessment was designed to prevent corruption before it happens.
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“The EICS and AEI tools help us measure how well MDAs are living up to ethical standards,” Sani explained. “We assess structure, finance systems, administrative practices, and how effective their ACTUs really are.”
He added that the ACTU is not just symbolic — it’s a watchdog within agencies, helping staff understand their roles in preventing misconduct and serving as a direct link to the ICPC for reporting any unethical behavior.
