Leadership (Abuja)
Lawal Saidu
22 August 2008
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, yesterday in Katsina said the anti-graft agency was working towards ensuring that corrupt officials are sentenced to life imprisonment.
Ayoola was quoted as saying, "Acts of corruption are destroying the nation and should attract life imprisonment without remission."
A statement issued by ICPC's resident consultant, Mr Folu Olamiti, stated that Ayoola expressed displeasure with the high incidence of corruption in the land, saying the menace had robbed the people of decent life, good roads, quality education, good health care and other social amenities.
According to him, "Any leader who keeps on denying his people of the good things of life because of corrupt tendency should be jailed for life without remission".
Ayoola, who spoke in Katsina at a town hall meeting, a public enlightenment campaign activity of the commission against corruption, stressed the need for vigilance on the part of Nigerians.
The ICPC boss said that Nigeria's progress and development have been severely hampered as a result of corrupt acts of a few.
"Corruption breeds misery and widespread poverty among our people. No leader can succeed in any country unless corruption is battled to a halt,"he said.
He was of the view that the good intentions of Nigerian leaders for a better life for the masses have always been frustrated by corruption in all spheres and sectors of the Nigerian society.
He told the gathering, consisting traditional rulers and opinion leaders, that corruption must be fought to a halt because "it is crippling Nigeria and Nigerians very fast, so the people must carry the fight to the governance".
"That is why, we are mobilising the people through NAVC, to be able to challenge people in governance and make them accountable for the allocation they are getting from the Federal Government", the ICPC chairman said.
The town hall meeting organised by the commission last year and the Katsina meeting of yesterday were the first in the series of such parleys with the grassroots that would take place this year in some selected councils in the country.
The ICPC boss also commended the Governor of Katsina State, Malam Ibrahim Shehu Shema, for his welfare projects for his people, adding that the governor's activities have been touching the lives of the people
Meanwhile, over 600 political office-holders from the North-East zone of the country rose from a three-day National Conference on Anti-Corruption held in Yola, Adamawa State, asking the Federal Government to make budgetary provisions for payment of social welfare package for Nigerians as a way of reducing the incidence of corruption in Nigeria.
This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the conference jointly organised by the ICPC and the two committees on anti-corruption of the National Assembly.
The participants advised that government should legislate a social welfare scheme for the citizenry to provide for the people in old age, sickness or unemployment as a way of cushioning them against the ugly effects of poverty.
They also said government should cater for people who live exemplary public life despite attaining high level in government with its entire attendant opportunities but retired unblemished yet without even basic necessities of life.
They further said that as a means of reducing corruption during elections into political offices, relevant government agencies should enforce the laws that only political parties should sponsor candidates for elections rather than aspirants sponsoring themselves on their election.
They also agreed that the National Assembly should enact a law to create financial crimes courts to try corruption and financial crimes for speedy disposal or conclusion of such cases.
The participants also called for a total re-orientation of Nigerians to eschew greed, flamboyance and ostentatious display of wealth and that Nigerians should demand good governance and excellence at all levels and should only vote for contestants who are seeking political offices based on individual qualities and not inducement.
While advocating for attitudinal change of the citizenry, mostly those at the helm of affairs to make the anti-corruption campaign successful, they said the ICPC should embark on leadership training programmes for leaders to make them transformational leaders and agents of change, "thereby influencing their followers to positive and ethical behaviours".
They contended that though poor salary should not be a reason for one to be corrupt, however, as a way of reducing the cankerworm, ICPC should advise the Salaries and Wages Commission to ensure that public servants are well remunerated by all levels of government and their general welfare taken care of, even after retirement.
The participants advised that anti-corruption agencies should employ more friendly tactics and intensify effort on mass mobilisation against corruption through the use of both the electronic and print media so as to encourage the citizens to expose corrupt people without fear of victimisation.
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HOW ABOUT DEATH SENTENCES FOR KIDNAPPERS REGARDLESS OF THEIR AGES OR CAUSES. WHEN YOU EXECUTE SOME, THEN WE WILL SEE NO MORE KIDNAPPINGS. TONY