Business Day, Cash Link sign onto Convention on Business Integrity

The CBI is a declaration for the maintenance of ethical conduct, competence, transparency and accountability by private sector operators.

Christopher Kolade, chairman, CBI governing board, who spoke during the ceremony in Lagos yesterday, said achieving integrity in business should start with a conscious effort by individuals, backed by determination and perseverance.

Kolade said the signing on was not the end but the beginning of a journey, as such, companies should not just be contented with signing on alone but should consciously work towards obtaining the CBI tick mark, indicating full compliance with all business integrity requirements.

He urged the signatories to take courage in the fact they are not alone in the fight to entrench integrity and high ethical standards on the conduct of businesses.

Frank Aigbogun, publisher, Business Day, who signed on for the company, said he was fully aware of the responsibility taken on by the company with its decision to sign on.

Aigbogun said apart from the police, the rating for journalists at home and abroad was not very good.

Accordingly, the decision to sign on was borne by the need to set a different set of expectations which is zero tolerance on any form of gifts or freebies for its reporters.

Also speaking Olusoji Apampa, an executive of CBI, said though the benefits of acceding to the CBI might not be so obvious at first, signatories stood to enjoy several advantages over time.

These advantages include enhancing company reputation; reducing the risks and uncertainties of doing business; minimising risk of criminal and civil sanctions as well as protection of shareholders’ assets, among others.

The CBI was established to empower business transactions in and within Nigeria against corruption and corrupt practices.

The vision is to move the society towards a visible zero tolerance for corruption. It is hoped that in time it will reposition the idea that Nigerian businesses are fraudulent and instead foster international relationships that can lead to meaningful exchange.

So far, about 20 private companies, including Business Day, four individuals and one public sector organisation, have signed onto the convention.