The Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has ranked the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, as the most integrity-driven and ethically-compliant parastatal among 25 other regulatory agencies assessed in the anti-graft agency’s Ethics Compliance and Integrity Scorecards (ECIS), 2020.

According to the ICPC’s report, which measures how Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government comply with ethical, integrity, statutory, regulatory and policy standards and requirements, the NCC came first with a score of 81.15 percent.

Trailing NCC behind in the prestigious ranking of the 25 regulatory agencies are eight other agencies, with scores above 50 percent. They include the Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC), 71.05 percent); the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), 69.85 percent; National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), 66.8 percent; and the National Copyright Commission (NCC), 64.55 percent in the second, third, fourth and fifth places respectively.

Others are the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) with a score of 63.55 percent; National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) 56.4 percent; Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) 54.8 percent and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) 51.05 percent.

The remaining 15 regulatory agencies each scored below 50 percent. The ranking by ICPC, in addition to demonstrating NCC’s commitment to the orderly growth and development of the Nigerian telecommunications industry, underscores the Commission’s strategic role as a key enabler of positive change within Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape.

The NCC has been acknowledged as a foremost telecoms regulatory agency in Africa by the International telecommunication Union (ITU). This ranking further cements that declaration and points to the increasing commitment of the Board and Management of the Commission to sustain and entrench regulatory excellence as a culture. It also shows the Commission’s continuous effort at improving internal processes, structures and systems for better service delivery to its diverse stakeholders.

NCC ranking on the 2020 Scorecard, which was deployed between July and September 2020 in 352 MDAs is a testament to the ethical culture and high standards of integrity, which characterize the operations and regulatory activities of the Commission.

Accordingly, the regulatory initiatives of the Commission have consistently underscored its commitment to continue to support the Federal Government’s digital economy agenda to rapidly advance the socio-economic development of Nigeria through fair, firm, forthright and transparent regulation.

The ECIS was developed by the ICPC in line with its proactive and preventive mandate under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 to reinforce its drive to strengthen integrity, accountability and transparency in public service.

The ECIS, which is annually deployed in selected government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), measures how MDAs comply with ethical, integrity, statutory, regulatory and policy standards and requirements in the conduct of their business. The goal is to diminish corruption risk, improve ethics and integrity benchmark and improve service delivery.