Bauchi governor warns Nigerians over corrupt leadership

Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State has called for a new attitude in the fight against corruption, saying the days citizens overlooked sleaze among leaders had to stop.

He made the call at the opening ceremony of a two-day Anti-Corruption, Ethics and Integrity Training for Bauchi State public officers, organised by the government and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

“One of the cardinal principles of the present administration is to bring about change in all our transactions and do away with corrupt tendencies which have impacted negatively on our society. For change to be effective however, we need attitudinal transformation with a view to confronting the numerous challenges of corruption facing us,” he said.

The governor explained that Bauchi had embarked on several anti-corruption reforms, to reduce vice in the state’s civil service and ensure efficient delivery to the people.

He added that some of the reforms had begun yielding results. According to him, a Recovery Committee retrieved properties and money carted away by some officials of the immediate past administration. Also a Contract Review Committee reassessed major contracts awarded by the previous administration.

Abubakar noted that the state introduced an Integrated Financial Information Management System (IFMIS) and staff verification exercises, which led to the blockage of financial leaks.

Earlier, ICPC Acting Chairman, Mr. Abdullahi Bako, stressed that the training was necessary, given the myriads of problems facing the country due to the mismanagement of resources.

Bako, represented by Professor Sola Akinrinade, Provost of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN) and training arm of ICPC, said many cases of bad roads, poor health and educational facilities and other basic social amenities across the country were caused by people who compromised the commonwealth.

He added that the workshop would equip top civil servants in the state with right ethical values to ensure that government funds were spent judiciously.