By Emmanuel Nduka
The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has disclosed that the Office of the Nigerian Presidency does not have the power to pardon nor commute the sentence of any public official convicted of corrupt practices in Government.
This is according to the CCB Chairman, Professor Mohammad Isah, who made the revelation during a two-day Workshop on Fighting Corruption, organised by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for its Management Staff in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In his presentation on “Asset Declaration: A Viable Tool for Corruption Prevention”, Professor Isah stated that the constitution recognises corruption in public service as an unpardonable crime and admonished the officials to avoid unwholesome practices while in government service.
He also revealed that corruption does not offer double jeopardy to the convicted, stating that an officer convicted for corrupt practices could be retried on the same offence.
While stressing that corruption was a worldwide phenomenon, the CCB regretted that Nigeria was usually presented as a country with a high incidence of corrupt practices in government, adding that Nigeria had established institutions meant to check corrupt practices in the public service.
He added that as societies were becoming sophisticated, it was important for these institutions to focus on specialized ways of fighting corruption, noting that there was need for more sophisticated institutions to address the new challenges.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) its own presentation, defined corruption as abuse of public office for private gain.
EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa represented by the Zonal Commander, EFCC Port-Harcourt, Aliyu Naibi, stated that “there are economic and social costs of corruption that hamper national growth. Deterrence is now the norm in fighting corruption, not prevention. Deterrence means improving organizational procedures and internal control to reduce fraud and corruption.”
In his remarks, Interim Administrator of the NDDC, Effiong Akwa called for a change in the Niger Delta region. “We must be willing and ready to comply with the civil service rules, financial regulations, as well as with the ICPC, EFCC and CCB acts and other extant rules and laws in Nigeria.
“One of the biggest impediments to achieving organisational goals and objectives lies in a lack of transparency and integrity, in not abiding by the best principles of due process,” he noted.
Speaking on the best ways to stop Nigerians from leaving the country, a former Director of Public Enlightenment and Education of Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Rasheedat Okoduwa stated that if corruption is dealt with swiftly and appropriately, citizens will not have a need to go to other countries.
“Stop corruption, make things work, and you’ll see that people will be less likely to travel abroad for greener pastures,” she said.
