The Controller General of the Federal Fire Service (FFS), Joseph Garba Anebi, has said that corruption has the capacity of destroying the nation like a wild bush fire if not tackled with strong will.
The CG who made this declaration during the inauguration of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of FFS by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), recently in Abuja, expressed the determination of the agency to extinguish corruption from the systems and processes of the Service.
Anebi declared: “Corruption is like a wild bush fire capable of consuming the nation if not properly tackled. For us at FFS, considering the critical role of the Service in emergency situations, we are determined to co-operate with ICPC in the fight against corruption by complying with lawful directives of the Commission, such as the establishment of ACTU, which we believe will extinguish corruption in this country.”
The CG commended ICPC for its ‘all inclusive’ approach in the fight against corruption by empowering individuals and agencies of government to be at the forefront through a variety of intervention strategies such as the National Anti-Corruption Volunteer Corps (NAVC) and ACTU.
In his goodwill message at the occasion, the acting Chairman of ICPC, Dr. Musa Usman Abubakar, who was represented by Mr. Olayinka Aiyegbayo, fsi, an Assistant Commissioner, Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Department (CMED), noted that the inauguration of ACTU would aid the Commission’s anti-corruption efforts.
He saidr, “Inauguration of ACTU, enhances the efforts of ICPC in promoting and entrenching the anti-corruption campaign in critical establishments of government.”
The oath of office was administered on the members of the Unit, with Deputy Controller Fire Abbas Tijjani and Superintendent Fire Ibrahim Aliyu, as the Chairman and Secretary, respectively.
In his vote of thanks, the Unit Chairman, on behalf of all members, said: “I want to assure the CG and ICPC Chairman, that we will give our best in ensuring transparency in all aspects of activities here at FFS”
ACTU is an initiative of ICPC which consists of staff of an MDA headed by a senior official from another MDA. The ACTU acts as the eyes and ears of ICPC within each MDA, performing the functions of the Commission except criminal investigation and prosecution.