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Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), yesterday, said it would make public all abandoned constituency contract projects and their handlers upon completion of investigation to serve as deterrent to others in Edo State.
The state ICPC Commissioner, Mr. Yusuf Olatunji, who disclosed this in a town hall meeting put together by Social Action with support from the MacArthur Foundation on Promoting Accountable Governance Through Tracking of Constituency and Public Projects Implementation in the state said constituency projects was a major channel through which public funds were being siphoned.
Speaking on the topic: “Corruption issues in constituency projects implementation: Need for collective engagement”, Olatunji said the commission has introduced “project tracking” into its operation. “The idea of tracking constituency projects is not to witch hunt anybody. The idea is to examine how far they have done with our money.”
The Commissioner said the fight against corruption must be seen as a fight for all and not for anti-graft agencies alone as the commission is bedevilled with acute shortage of man-power.
“1,000 ICPC staff among 200 million Nigerians, how do we fight corruption? EFCC, I am very sure, do not have enough man-power too. This is where we all need to come together and fight corruption,” he said.
Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Taiwo Akerele, represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor/Chairman, Strategic Planning and Programme Management Office, Mrs. Uyi Oduwa-Malaka, said government was on course to deliver on its promises.
Country Director of MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Kole Shettima, who was represented by Hajia Salihu, said the issues of corruption should not be left to the government and its officials alone.
