The ICPC chairman, Musa Aliyu, SAN, has urged engineers to embrace transparency, integrity and adhere to required standards for accelerated infrastructural development across the country.

Demola Bakare, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) spokesperson, said in a statement on Thursday, that Mr Aliyu made the call in Abuja.

Mr Bakare said the ICPC boss was speaking when Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, president, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and other management members paid him a courtesy in Abuja.

Mr Aliyu, who expressed concern over the current challenges facing Nigeria, particularly in the construction of roads and buildings, pledged that the commission would ensure compliance with established standards.

He underscored the need for both ICPC and COREN to be committed to transparency and integrity, making their collaboration crucial for improving infrastructural development and ensuring adherence to required standards.

The ICPC boss pledged the determination of the ICPC to collaborate with COREN to leverage their expertise in infrastructure development across the country.

“ICPC is committed to working with you because you have the expertise, and we have the enforcement power,” he said.

He noted that COREN’s expertise would be invaluable to the Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Group (CEPTG) initiative of the ICPC.

COREN’s president Mr Abubakar said the purpose of the visit was to review the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two agencies to strengthen their partnership.

He said that the review of the MoU with ICPC would reinforce their partnership and hold accountable those responsible for substandard infrastructure.

The COREN chief expressed his expectation for the establishment of a joint committee to update the MoU, which was originally signed in 2014, to reflect current realities

“We must strengthen our collaboration with ICPC, as our predecessors saw the importance of formalising this relationship through an MoU,” he said.

In his remarks, the secretary to ICPC, Clifford Okparaodu, echoed the need to revise the existing agreement in line with the present situation in the country

He commended COREN’s leadership for recognising the concerns of the ICPC chairman and the Nigerian public, assuring that a committee would be formed to work closely with the COREN team.

(NAN)