The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has urged Nigerians at the grassroots to be more determined in their quest for better lives, and expose officials looting local government funds.
According to the chairman, Nigerians should be ready to join the EFCC in exposing corrupt practices in their midst.
He therefore called for fiscal discipline, transparency and efficient management of resources in managing local government resources.
The chairman made the call through EFCC Kaduna state’s acting Zonal Commander, Aisha Abubakar at a two-day workshop organised by the Ministry of Local Government, Kaduna state, adding that these are ways of deepening and strengthening local government’s administration in Nigeria.
He also noted that prudent management of resources at the local government will have a positive impact on people at the grassroots.
Olukoyede said every effort should be made to achieve proper management of resources.
He said: “The local government is structured as a means to enhance development and service delivery, improve governance and deepen democracy.
“There is no way we can have enough resources for the people, but when we apply discipline in the allocation of what we have, we will be able to meet many of the needs at the grassroots.”
He therefore called on Nigerians at the grassroots to be willing and ready to offer information to the EFCC at all times on how their resources are being used.
The EFCC boss said: “This brings us to the need for whistleblowing. Fiscal discipline cannot be achieved if the people are not involved in how they are governed.
“I urge Nigerians at the grassroots to be more determined in their quest for better lives. They should be ready to join the EFCC in exposing corrupt practices in their midst.”
He also called on local government officials to drive economic development in their various jurisdictions by avoiding wastages and stealing.
He stressed that “the major policy objective of the war against corruption and financial crimes is to drive economic development, create wealth and job opportunities for the people. The local government has a lot to contribute to actualize the objective.”
Meanwhile, Kaduna State’s Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe emphasised the need for local government functionaries to embrace financial discipline, in order to conform with global best practices and avoid disruption of the financial system.
She said: “We understand that whatever we are doing at the state level, we need you at the local government level to key into positive policies like this in order for us to succeed.
“The purpose of this workshop, therefore, is to ensure that key functionaries of local governments catch up with best global practices in financial discipline.
“We know that discretion can be misused, resulting in persistent deficits, repeated bad policies, rising debt levels, and eventually, bad governance.”
Expose Officials Looting Local Government Treasury — EFCC Charges Nigerians is first published on The Whistler Newspaper