The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), has called on the staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to adhere strictly to the code of conduct guiding the public service to improve the working system of the nation’s capital.
The Code of Conduct Bureau specifically advised FCTA workers to ensure timely and accurate declaration of their assets, for transparency and accountability purposes, as government offices are held in trust on behalf of the citizens.
The FCT State director of the Bureau, Suleiman Usman, yesterday in a one-day enlightenment campaign, said that the Bureau aims at sensitising public servants on the importance of asset declaration, alongside the dos and don’ts enshrined in the code of conduct.
He noted that a lot of public servants were still ignorant of some of the relevant information and practices expected of their roles, which is why they unknowingly end up normalising the illegalities within the system.
The state director also frowned at the practice where public servants use office hours to engage in private businesses, warning that while the CCB will continue to work with stakeholders to keep things in check, the Bureau will not fail to take necessary measures against any civil servant who is petitioned, investigated by the Bureau’s committee and found guilty of using official hours for private businesses.
“We are here to enlighten the civil servants of the FCT administration on the importance of asset declaration and ensure that we have total compliance. We also enlightened them on the code of conduct of public officers so that they will know their dos and don’ts alongside their responsibilities.
“We do not expect every person to understand us right away but we are optimistic that various heads of departments will help in clarifying our message to individuals that didn’t comprehend.
“The Bureau has a committee that investigates and take the necessary measure, which is why we specified that civil servants must not engage in direct managing of private business if they want to carry out private businesses,” he stated.
