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Zulum drums support for anti-corruption campaign

By NAN
09 December 2019   |   2:39 pm
Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has called for greater community participation in the fight against corruption to promote good governance.

Babagana Zulum. Photo: TWITTER/PROFZULUM

Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has called for greater community participation in the fight against corruption to promote good governance.

Zulum made the call at a rally to mark the 2019 International Anti-Corruption Day on Monday in Maiduguri.

Represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Umar Kadafur, the governor reiterated his commitment to fighting corruption through community mobilisation and implementation of proactive measures to encourage accountability and transparency in public service.

“May I use this opportunity to put on record our total commitment in the fight against corruption by calling on good citizens of Borno to join the government in the war against corruption.

”This is by reporting, after a thorough investigation of any case against individual or organisation involved in corruption for prosecution.

“While presenting the 2020 budget; I emphasised the need for instilling the values of due process, accountability, and probity in the public expenditure,” he said.

Zulum added that he had also directed for the transfer of the Monitoring and Evaluation Department to his office, to check linkages and waste in governance.

He noted that the fight against corruption was a collective responsibility that needed contribution from all to achieve the set developmental goals and move the state forward.

While commanding the EFCC over the feat achieved, Zulum further called for synergy between various arms of government and stressed the need for the judiciary to ensure speedy trial of corruption cases.

In his remarks, Mr Lawrence Iwodi, the Zonal Coordinator of the EFCC, disclosed that the commission had secured 23 convictions and recovered over N244 million this year in Borno and Yobe.

Iwodi said that the commission had also secured an interim forfeiture order of five properties while the process of obtaining a similar order involving five other properties and three vehicles would be completed before the end of the year.

He called on the people to cooperate and provide credible information to the commission to enable it to track corrupt persons in the two states.

“We are passionate about the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the vulnerable within our jurisdiction.

“In this regard; we are interested in the information that will assist us tract down persons involved in the diversion of relief materials.

“We are also interested in people who take advantage of the security situation in the state to defraud unsuspecting members of the public in the name of running humanitarian organisations,” Iwodi said.

The coordinator added that the commission would continue with its campaign to track diversion and misappropriation of the public funds as well as prosecute erring public office holders.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was attended by government functionaries, EFCC officials and representatives of about 170 Civil Society Organisations.

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