By Emma Peter, Abuja
The Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Imo State, has received the Verbatim 2026 Pillars of Integrity in Public Service Award in recognition of its compliance with ethics and integrity standards in the public service.
The award was presented on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, during the Verbatim Pillars of Integrity in Public Service Award 2026.
The event recognised the 100 Most Integrity-Compliant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), with the selection based on editorial profiling derived from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS) 2025.
Among the institutions recognised at the event were the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Code of Conduct Tribunal and other public institutions.
Speaking with journalists shortly after receiving the award, the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Dr. Mrs. Basilia Igbokwe, expressed delight over the recognition, describing it as an honour and an indication that the efforts of public institutions are being monitored.
“Well, I feel great. I feel honoured. I feel being recognised. It simply shows that for everything anybody is doing, it is being watched. That is the most important thing every one of us must know today,” she said.
Igbokwe noted that the inclusion of the Polytechnic among the 100 MDAs recognised for compliance with ICPC procedures was a significant achievement for the institution.
“And for being, you know, like they brought out 100 MDAs that are compliant to ICPC procedures and so on. Incidentally, our institution is one of them. It’s actually a thing of honour,” she said.
According to her, the recognition would also encourage the management, staff and other stakeholders of the Polytechnic to do more in maintaining high standards of accountability, transparency and integrity.
“It simply shows that we need to do more, knowing fully well that we’re being watched at every point in time,” she added.
The Rector also highlighted some of the achievements recorded by the institution since she assumed office, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, human capital development and the revival of some of the Polytechnic’s industrial ventures.
She said that within about two years in office, the institution had recorded significant progress, including staff training, renovation of hostels and the revival of facilities such as the water factory, tissue factory and block industry.
“In about two years in office, and within this period, we’ve recorded tremendous achievement in terms of infrastructure, human capital development, and so on. We’ve had several trainings. We have renovation of hostels. We have industries like water factory, tissue factory, block industry,” she said.
According to Igbokwe, the facilities were previously not functioning, but the management had been able to revive them, with the enterprises now operating.
She further explained that the administration had also focused on improving institutional processes, particularly in relation to accountability and compliance.
“Within these two years of tenure, all our processes have been greatly improved. And then we are talking about ICPC here, so we have zero tolerance to corruption. So the institution has done very, very well in ensuring that there is zero tolerance to corruption,” she said.
Igbokwe added that the Polytechnic had continued to ensure that its administrative processes were properly articulated and implemented in line with established standards.
“All our processes are well articulated and well carried out within this period,” she said.
The Verbatim Pillars of Integrity in Public Service Award 2026, which focused on ethics, integrity and compliance in the public sector, brought together several institutions recognised for their performance in the ICPC Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard 2025.
For the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, the recognition serves as an encouragement to sustain its commitment to institutional accountability, ethical standards, improved processes and effective public service delivery.
