The African Centre for Media and information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Tuesday, organised a one-day training workshop for staff of Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) in Abuja.

The training which focused on basic concepts and practices in three key areas, namely, forensic investigation, exchange rate fluctuation and forex malpractice, as well as common areas of malpractice in the oil and gas industry, was organised to enable the staff sharpen their investigative skills in these areas.

In his welcome address, Chido Onumah, Coordinator of AFRICMIL, noted that the organisation was committed to supporting the audit unit of the Federal Government to achieve its aims and objectives. He said the workshop was to further strengthen the relationship between the AFRICMIL and PICA.

Onumah added that the program was part of the activities of Corruption Anonymous (CORA) an initiative of AFRICMIL which is supported by the MacArthur Foundation.

Speaking with AFRICMIL after the training, one of the resource persons, Sadiq Ahmed, Principal Manager, Trade and Investment department at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said the import of the training to whistleblowing and anti-corruption fight in the country is to help the PICA staff recognise means through which funds are being siphoned and effective ways of blocking them.

He said, “What we have done was to identify areas through which fraud could take place, if one’s house is flooded, what you do first is to find out where the water is coming from and stop it, rather than just trying to clear out the water.”

Mohammed Bappah, another resource person who presented a paper on Understanding Oil and Gas Industry and Common Areas of Malpractice charged the participants to be more proactive in fighting corruption.

One of the participants, Musa Idris, commended AFRICMIL for the training, adding that it will go a long way in strengthening his capacity to detect fraud.