The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN has stated that corrupt practices in public service have been responsible in making sustainable development an unattainable ambition for Nigeria.
The ICPC Boss made the statement on Wednesday, while delivering a Goodwill Message at a 3-Day Workshop on Anti-corruption, Fiscal Responsibility, and Good Governance for Federal/State Government Officials, held at EFCC Academy-Karu, Abuja.
Represented by a Deputy Director in the Public Enlightenment and Education Department of the Commission, Mr. Hassan Salihu, the ICPC Chairman revealed that corruption in the public service greatly hinders sustainable development in Nigeria.
The ICPC Boss also commended the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes and the EFCC for their pragmatic approach to engaging with critical stakeholders in the fight against financial crimes in the public sector.
He said, “I wish to commend the House Committee on Financial Crime’s pragmatic approach in its recent engagements and for also having a clear understanding of the need for this training”.
According to him, the engagement and training were strategic, timely and can potentially provide capacity assets in the anti-corruption drive, fiscal responsibility, and good governance in Nigeria.
He then revealed that the Commission wholly agrees with the purpose of the Workshop, expressing hope that at the end of the training sessions, the required knowledge gap would be bridged.
In his opening remarks, the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede informed participants at the Workshop that fiscal responsibility was at the heart of accountable governance and efficient public service delivery.
According to Mr. Olukoyede, fiscal responsibility is about managing resources in an efficient manner and in line with extant laws and regulations, adding that it entails ensuring transparency in all government transactions so that public expenditure delivers value to the people.
He reminded the participants that “corruption is the albatross that has held this nation captive”, noting that Nigeria with all its human and natural resources had no business being poor.
The Workshop was an initiative of the House Committee on Financial Crimes in collaboration with the EFCC, specifically designed to expose public officers from different tiers of government to best practices in fiscal transparency and accountable governance.