The Jigawa State Ministry for Local Government and Community Development is seeking the partnership of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to entrench transparency and accountability in local government administration in the state.
This was made known recently in a welcome address by the Commissioner of Ministry for Local Government and Community Development Alhaji Ahmed Abubakar at a two-day sensitization workshop for principal officers of Jigawa State local government councils. Alhaji Abubakar indicated that Jigawa State was desirous of instituting a transparent and corrupt-free working environment in the state’s local councils and therefore needed the support of ICPC.
The workshop with the theme: Institutionalizing Integrity in Local Government Administration was organized to enlighten key officers of local councils on the ills of corruption and to proffer ways by which the menace can be curbed.
Alhaji Abubakar, described the program as timely in ensuring a corrupt-free and transparent local government administration in the state saying: “The ministry is ready to contribute its quota by promoting the values of transparency and accountability amongst staff.”
In order to educate participants on the workings of ICPC and to create synergy between it and Jigawa State Government, the ICPC Commissioner, Kano State, Shehu Yahaya, gave an overview of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000. He charged them to take the message learnt at the program down the ladder of their respective councils.
One of the resource persons at the workshop, Professor Badayi M. Sani, who presented a paper titled: Budget Preparation and Implementation, Challenges and the Salient Issues, advised the principal officers to implement budgetary allocations of their respective LGAs without compromise.
He noted that a sound budget implementation should be both transparent and comprehensive; and that good public finance management has to be in place to bring corruption to the barest minimum.