The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria, has been adjudged by a non-governmental and anti-corruption agency as one of the most highly ethically responsible organizations in the country.
The Institute was thus presented with a National certificate of Credence and a Gold medal which was received on behalf of the Institute by the Director General, Dr. Aminu Musa Yusuf.
In the same vein, the Director General and Chief Executive of the Institute, Dr. Aminu Musa Yusuf, having demonstrated exemplary leadership has been recognized and extolled by the same organization and inducted as “Ambassador of Ethics and Conscience” and into the CESVO hall of fame.
Presenting the award to the Director General in Zaria, the Executive Director of the Center for Ethics and Self Value Orientation (CESVO), Prince Salih Musa Yakubu, asserted that the organisation was set up to expose “monumental and systemic corruption” and provide ethical leadership with a view to retrieving the nation from the precipice of institutionalized corruption as well as imminent moral decadence. Prince Salih stated that in the quest for transparency, CESVO conducted its investigations serendipitously albeit with boldness, passion, determination and resolute commitment.
He observed that out of the 120 institutions investigated by CESVO only 50 were certified as ethical, credible and sound.
Prince Salih therefore, proclaimed that “NITT is hereby enlisted to be certified among the first 50 highly rated, most ethically responsible institutions in the country”. He also presented a certificate of credence to NITT for having scored a total of 79% on CESVO scorecard.
Prince Salih enumerated areas of assessment to include office attendance, national interest, integrity and responsibility, SERVICOM compliance, innovativeness, internal/external accountability, quality assurance, staff discipline, among others.
To the DG/CE, NITT, the CESVO Executive Director said: “for displaying character and attitude concomitant with our ethical standard, you shall be called His Excellency, the Ambassador of Ethics and man of conscience”. Prince Salih further described Dr. Aminu as “one of the finest characters in public establishments” and urged him not to rest on his laurels but rather strive to fill the vacuum which illustrious men like him had left because of political apathy.
In a similar development, the Registrar of the Institute, Mal. Sule Bello, received an “ethical conduct award” for being “one of the career civil servants found to be ethically sound”.
The CESVO Executive Director, Prince Yakubu, pledged to train about 100 NITT staff on “ethical conduct and leadership in the work place, for free.”
In his acceptance speech, the DG/CE, NITT, Dr. Aminu , thanked CESVO for the honour bestowed on him and the Institute which he said had not only humbled him, but motivated him to do more. Dr. Aminu assured CESVO that the Institute would continue to strive towards quality service delivery notwithstanding the limited resources at its disposal.
The DG/CE went down memory lane to state that from the humble beginning in 1986, NITT had grown considerably with 8 departments and 4 learning centres in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Gombe. He added that the Institute was working relentlessly to establish its presence in all the geo-political zones of the federation.
The DG/CE took a swipe at corruption describing it as “our principal enemy in the country”. He noted that NITT was positively inclined towards the ethical training which he said was timely and would help in the fight against corruption. The DG/CE dedicated the award to the entire staff of NITT and wished CESVO officials success in their quest to checkmate unethical practices and corruption in the society.
He enjoined them to continue with their anti-corruption fight without fear or favour.
In a vote of thanks, the Registrar, Mal. Bello, described the award as “an extraordinary milestone in the history of the institute”.
Mal. Bello stated that NITT staff were particularly proud of the award because it was in recognition of the collective effort of the entire NITT community. The Registrar further observed that the DG/CE’s induction into CESVO hall of fame was a well deserved one because according to him the DG/CE is the quintessence of hard work, dedication and diligence. He expressed the hope that other organisations especially, those within NITT’s environ, would redouble their efforts in order to attract such recognitions. He was particularly optimistic that with such watchdogs, public servants would sit up.
