President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday presented integrity awards to Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) Bashir Abubakar of the Nigeria Customs Service (NIS)and Mrs Josephine Ugwu, a staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for exhibiting integrity.
ACG Bashir Abubakar was honoured for rejecting $412,000 (N150 million) bribe offered to him by drug traffickers to import 40 containers laden with Tramadol.
Mrs Josephine Ugwu was honoured for returning $12 million she found at a toilet at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. She had on different occasions returned millions of naira found in the course of her duty.
The duo was honoured during at the opening session of a two-day National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in Public Sector held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.
The event is put together by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in collaboration with.
Speaking at the event, President Buhari stressed the need for Nigerians to uphold the traditionally cherished values of honesty and integrity.
‘‘Let me again note with concern the need to uphold the values of loyalty, honesty, trust, and integrity that were once cherished in our public service.
‘‘Ethics and integrity are the foundation of an enduring society. Nigerian culture does not tolerate dishonesty. Therefore, we must reclaim our traditional values of honesty, integrity and hard work.
‘‘In spite of the few bad eggs, I am delighted that many Nigerians still hold on to our traditionally cherished values of honesty and integrity,” he said.
The president also stressed the need for well-meaning Nigerians to join in the fight against corruption as the ICPC launched the Phase I report of the Constituency Projects Transparency Group (CPTG).
‘‘The war against corruption cannot be won without prevention, enforcement, public education and enlightenment. I encourage the ICPC and other law enforcement agencies to intensify their efforts in public education, enlightenment and engagement with citizens.
‘‘I also urge our development partners, civil society organizations, and the media to continue to support our efforts to strengthen ethical values and integrity in Nigeria,’’ he said
