SLRTA Communications Unit

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ACC ENGAGES RTA EMPLOYEES ON INTEGRITY

The Anti-Corruption Commission has on Saturday 6th December, completed a one day training exercise on the theme ‘Integrity In The Work Place’ for employees of the Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority at the Authority headquarter in Kissy Road Freetown.

Making her statement during the training session, the Executive Director, Dr Sarah Finda Bendu advised her employees to take the training exercise seriously, adding that one of the reasons for conducting such training is to educate and enlighten staff members on issues of corruption. She recalled that some times this year, one Traffic Warden was alleged to have engaged in corrupt practices. ‘’All is not perfect, but we are working towards perfection’’ Dr. Bendu said.

She further described integrity as ‘Honesty and fairness’ with the people whom you are working or interacting with. As the year 2014 is coming to an end, we are currently working on modalities to ensure that by 2015 SLRTA would have rebranded its name from Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority to Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority. We would change the Logo of the institution as well as the uniform of traffic wardens, \she disclosed.

Dr. Bendu urged all her employees to work hard, so that they would change the negative perception of the Public towards the institution, saying that the institution was one of the first among other institutions to be certified by the International Standards Organisation (ISO) she reminded her employees about the good words of the country’s National Anthem, which according to her those words are not only serving as song but as commitment which every Sierra Leonean is expected to fulfil.
The deputy director of Public Education Outreach department, in the Anti-Corruption Commission, Mr. Patrick Sandi said that the ACC is here to help capacitate SLRTA employees in order to help them eradicate or minimise corruption. As a commission, we have done system examination on institutions and we have found out that the weaknesses are great. So therefore we have taken up the venture to educate employees on what ACC stands for, said Mr Sandi. He further said, in the years 2014 and 2015 their strategy is a risk base strategy and one of their pointers is focusing on revenue generating institutions that are providing service delivery to the public. He therefore urged all the employees of SLRTA to take the training very seriously and that the ACC is not here for any witch-hunt or investigating any issue but to help them fight corrupt practices in SLRTA.

He therefore encouraged all the employees present to feel free and participate fully in the training exercise. Mr Sandi said even though certain people in society are of the opinion that the country will not move away from the shackle of poverty and corrupt practices, if such people exist then their minds are myopic.

Meanwhile, Mr Musa Kante, the policy Officer of ACC presented the topic titled ‘’Policy and Ethics In The workplace’’ he advised the employees to work in line with the policies and ethics of the SLRTA. The Public Relations Officer of ACC, Mr. Alhassan Kargbo explained the offences in the ACC Acts to the employees. According to Mr Kargbo, when the ACC was established in the year 2000, it has only nine offences, but with the review done by the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) had set up a blue print, which has twenty one offences. Also Mr Brima Thullah, the ACC archivist educated the employees on asset declaration. Moreover, the training climax with questions and answers from the discussants.

BY: Earl A. Coker
Intern from Mass Communication Dept. F.B.C
Attached to the Public Relations Unit S.L.R.T.A