The chairman of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde today, April 28,
declared that Local government in Nigeria cannot achieve its aim of
bringing development to the grassroots if the problem of systemic corruption
was not curbed. Lamorde who was represented by Bolaji Salami, director,
Organisational Support, stated this at the opening ceremony of the EFCC/ALGON
Training on Anti-Corruption, Fiscal Responsibility and Effective Leadership for
principal officers of Local Government Councils in Nigeria. “The problem of corruption
and lack of fiscal transparency perhaps remain one of the hydra-headed factors
that accounts for the inefficiency and retarded growth that local governments
continue to experience in Nigeria
today. The system has virtually become
superfluous and redundant,” he said.
Lamorde said “Corrupt practices
in the local governments have over the years rendered the local governments
inactive and devoid of concrete developmental activities”. According to the EFCC
chair, corruption thrives in the local councils through inflation of prices;
over-estimation of cost of project(s); the ghost workers syndrome; award of
contracts and subsequent abandonment; and outright
payment of huge sums of money to political godfathers.
However, the EFCC chairman said
the Commission was happy to collaborate with ALGON to enlighten and train its officials.
“I am by this medium assuring ALGON that the EFCC shall give ALGON all the
support it requires to educate its officials all over the country on
anti-corruption. Fiscal responsibility and effective leadership at the grassroots
level,” he said.
In his opening remark, the
President of ALGON, Ozor Nwabueze Okafor expressed appreciation to EFCC and
Discovery Circle Inc for the training which he said was critical for the realization
of the mandates of the councils.
“The most critical challenge is
not the autonomy issues or the financial allocation but the capacity of those
entrusted with these things to deliver on their expected mandate.”
In their respective goodwill
messages, the Acting Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Victor
Murako and the representative of the Director General of Bureau of Public
Procurement, James Akamu said it is imperative that participants carry out
their duties with fiscal prudence and due process.
They opined that
domestication of both the Fiscal Responsibility and Public Procurement Acts in
the states will go a long way in bringing sanity to the third tier of
government.
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