Investigators’ capacity’ ll be enhanced to rid system of corruption — Ribadu

… as HEDA doubts Tinubu’s zeal to fight corruption

By Ezra Ukanwa,

NATIONAL Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has expressed the commitment of the Tinubu-led administration to build the capacity of investigators, as part of efforts to enhance the war against corruption in the Civil Service.

This was as he said the current administration would prioritize reforming the civil service to ensure continued fight against corruption, reduce bureaucracy, decrease inefficiency and waste.

Ribadu, represented by the Special Adviser, Legal Department, NSA, Anthony Oluborode, disclosed this at a two-day National Conference on Anti-corruption organized by Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA, on Tuesday.

He said: “A cap will be placed on fiscal expenditures for the construction of government buildings and on salaries related compensation, packages of elected officials. Such expenditures will have a low priority in our administration and that will be transparent, that’s the promise.

“However, we will continue the process of weeding out ghost workers, as well as ghost projects expenditures from the system. The government will adhere strictly to the principle that public funds are only to be spent on the public good and shall strive earnestly to reduce the cost of government.There is a need to build the capacity of investigators to enhance the use of world class flexible, tried and tested templates, which the government is committed to.”

On his part, the Chairman of Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA, Olarenwaju Suraju, bemoaned the lack of motivation in continued fight against corruption in the current administration.

According to him, at the moment, there is no reason to believe that there was going to be any serious fight against corruption.

Specifically, he said both the media and the civil society organizations did not put the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on the spot for alleged corruption cases against him when he was vying for the position he presently occupies.

Suraj also cited the removal of EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, saying no action has been taken to tell Nigeria what the agenda of this government was in the fight against corruption.

Suraju said the foregoing has left a sour taste in the mouth, both for President Bola Tinubu and for this government.

“I must confess that we should have put the Senate President in the spotlight. He’s not only being investigated for his term as governor in Akwa Ibom but also as Minister of Niger Delta.

These are very critical issues.

“This was the person that was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and refused to honour the invitation, claiming that he was sick, only to be junketeering around, campaigning to be Senate President and eventually emerge as the Senate President. If we want to go by what has been happening so far in terms of the fight against corruption, we can’t actually for now, say that we have any good reason to believe that there’s going to be any serious fight against corruption,” he said.

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