8th September, 2011
To tackle corruption, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has advised PHCN to carry out internal checks on its activities.
ICPC Secretary, Mr. Elvis Oglafia, made the call on Wednesday in Port Harcourt at an Anti-Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Unit (ACTU) retreat.
ACTU is the anti-corruption monitoring unit established by Section 6 of the ICPC Act and serves as the eye of the commission in ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
Oglafia, who noted that the development of every economy depended largely on power, said PHCN should be ready to expose corruption and punish perpetrators.
In his speech, PHCN’s Managing Director, Mr. Husein Labo, said the retreat was a positive development in the fight against corruption.
He identified corrupt practices in the system to include extortion of money from customers before services were rendered, non-reading of meters and over estimation of bills.
“Our collaboration with the ICPC is aimed at tackling these practices and building an attitudinal change that will guarantee honesty and transparency in service delivery.
“We will definitely use the outcome of this retreat in policy formulation in PHCN,†he said.
Also speaking, Mr. Rotimi Onanuga, the Chief Executive Officer of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, said the retreat was to deepen PHCN’s resolve to stamp out corruption in the system.
He said commitment was needed in the fight against corruption, noting that “ no amount of training or retreat will on their own trigger the expected change. â€