The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has strongly condemned the refusal of 92 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government to establish Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units (ACTUs), over 20 years after their creation was mandated by law.
In a statement issued by CACOL’s Director of Administration and Programmes, Tola Oresanwo, on behalf of the organization’s Chairman, Mr. Debo Adeniran, the anti-corruption advocacy group described the revelation as a “damning indictment” of widespread impunity and institutional resistance to transparency in Nigeria’s public sector.
The development came to light during an investigative hearing held on Tuesday by the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption, where the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) disclosed that out of 303 MDAs assessed as of the end of 2024, only 84 have functional ACTUs.
An additional 127 operate weak or largely ineffective units, while five agencies have ACTUs that exist merely in name, failing to perform any tangible oversight functions.
CACOL said the failure of these agencies to comply with a longstanding federal directive reflects a deliberate disregard for transparency and an entrenched culture of corruption.
“Many of these agencies have willfully refused to prioritize integrity, accountability, and openness in governance,” the statement read. “Even more disturbing is the fact that in MDAs where ACTUs exist, most have been reduced to symbolic structures that are neither independent nor empowered to challenge corrupt practices.”
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The group noted that in many cases, ACTUs have become co-opted by the very institutions they are meant to monitor, lacking both the will and capacity to enforce ethical standards.
CACOL warned that this compromises the core purpose of ACTUs and erodes public trust in the government’s anti-corruption agenda.
In a strong rebuke, CACOL also criticized the ICPC and the National Assembly’s oversight bodies for failing to adequately monitor compliance, arguing that both institutions had been lax in detecting and sanctioning errant agencies.
“The ICPC must move beyond mere reporting and begin to prosecute heads of MDAs that flout the directive to establish ACTUs,” CACOL stated. “There ought to be legal consequences for such clear violations of extant laws.”
CACOL emphasized that since the ICPC operates under the Presidency, the executive must demonstrate leadership by ensuring that all public officials and appointees fully implement anti-corruption mechanisms, particularly those funded by public resources.
CACOL concluded by calling on all arms of government—especially the Federal Government, anti-corruption agencies, and the National Assembly—to act decisively and restructure ACTUs into credible, independent watchdogs capable of effectively combating corruption in Nigeria’s public institutions.
“No agency of government should be above scrutiny,” CACOL warned. “The refusal to establish or empower ACTUs is a deliberate act of sabotage against the nation’s anti-corruption efforts.”