The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Amb. Nicholas Ella has advised the staff of his ministry to detest corruption, and ensure that ethical considerations are at the heart of their official decisions.
A statement released Thursday, on the official X handle of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, and signed by the Head, of Press and Public Relations. Christopher Ugwuegbulam, said the permanent secretary made the call in Abuja, at a sensitization workshop with the theme: “Curbing corruption at the workplace,” organised by the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit of the ministry.
Ella noted that the petroleum industry remains the backbone of the nation’s economy, contributing approximately 85 percent of government revenue and 95 percent of foreign exchange earnings.
He added that despite its critical importance, the oil and gas sector had historically been susceptible to financial malpractices, contract opacity, revenue leakages and operational inefficiencies, all of which have significantly undermined national development efforts.
Citing the 2021 Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) oil and gas industry report, Ella said that Nigeria lost approximately $46 billion in oil revenue between 2009 and 2020, due to operational inefficiencies, contract opacity, and illicit financial flows.
The permanent secretary further stated that the 2023 global corruption index, ranked Nigeria 150th out of 180 countries, with corruption in the extractive industries cited as a major contributing factor.
He however, expressed optimism that the inauguration of the anti-corruption unit in the petroleum ministry, was a significant step towards institutionalizing ethical practices, improving governance structures, and ensuring regulatory compliance within the ministry, and its affiliated agencies.
He enthused that the workshop would mark the beginning of a new era of corporate integrity, ethical leadership and systemic accountability in the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
Ella expressed appreciation to the ministers of state for petroleum resources, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), and all stakeholders for their unwavering support for the initiative.
Director of Special Duties in the ministry, Mr. Salami Adebola, opined that corruption is a problem that can have catastrophic consequences on the nation’s economy.
He charged participants at the workshop to demonstrate strong commitment to integrity and transparency in order to hold themselves accountable for their actions.
Earlier, the Chairman of Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit in the ministry, Mr. Emmanuel Okon, said that the unit was approved in 2001, to serve as an in-house check for the prevention of corruption in line with global best practices, of building strong institutions and encouraging governments to fight against corruption, and unethical conducts in the work place.
