Business
Don’t engage in private business during official hours – CCB warns civil servants
The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has warned Federal Capital Territory Administration employees to carefully follow the rules of conduct guiding public service by reporting their assets or face consequences.
Suleiman Usman, State Director, FCT CCB, stated that, unbeknownst to many government workers, conducting private business during official hours is a crime punishable by law.
Usman delivered the warning during a one-day education drive in Abuja on Thursday.
“We are here to educate FCT Administration civil servants on the importance of asset declaration and to ensure total compliance.” We also educated them on the code of conduct for public officers so that they are aware of their dos and don’ts in addition to their obligations.
“The Bureau has a committee that investigates and takes the necessary measures,” he explained. “That is why we specified that civil servants must not engage in direct management of private businesses if they wish to carry out private businesses.”
Usman tasked the employees with ensuring the early and proper reporting of their assets for the purposes of openness and accountability, saying that government posts are held in trust for the population.
According to State Director, FCT CCB, Usman, many public workers are still unaware of some of the important knowledge and practices expected of them, which leads to them inadvertently normalizing illegalities inside the system.
He also condemned the practice of public servants using office hours to conduct private business, warning that the Bureau will take appropriate action against any civil servant who is petitioned, investigated by the Bureau’s committee, and found guilty of doing so.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Jummai Ahmadu, FCTA’s acting Director of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, said the enlightenment campaign was a normal activity of the bureau around the country to refresh the minds of government officials on asset disclosure.
