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General news

Ganduje renews commitment to independence of anti-graft agency

Ganduje renews commitment to independence of anti-graft agency

NAN-H-60

Independence

By Mohammed Nur

Kano, May 4, 2017 (NAN)‎ Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on Thursday renewed his commitment to uphold independence of the state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission to enable it discharge its duties efficiently.

‎The governor said this on Thursday during the unveiling of NIPOST anti-corruption stamps.‎‎

Ganduje‎ said the state government would ensure that the anti-graft agency remained totally independent to enable it discharge its duties without interference from any quarters.

‎According to him, the state government had established offices in all the 44 local government areas of the state for rural people to lodge their complaints.

Ganduje said the government would provide computers and Internet facilities to the local government offices to make them operate effectively.‎

‎‎The governor reiterated that fighting corruption would not be won by the singular effort of an agency but through collective efforts ‎and partnership.‎

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his efforts in the war against corruption.‎

‎Ganduje also ‎commended NIPOST for creating more awareness for the anti-corruption crusade.

However, he called for more synergy among the anti-graft agencies and Nigerians to combat corruption. ‎(NAN)

MNT/DS/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Kano anti-graft agency receives 3,000 complaints in 2 years – Chairman

Kano anti-graft agency receives over 3,000 complaints in 2 years – Chairman

NAN-H-38

By Muntari Tukur
Kano, May 4, 2017 (NAN) The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission says it received more than 3,000 complaints from members of the public in the last two two years.

The Chairman of the commission, Mr Muhuyi Rimingado, disclosed this at the unveiling of the NIPOST anti-corruption stamp at the Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano, on Thursday.

According to him, the anti-graft agency is able to resolve a number of the complaints while effort is being made to ensure diligent investigation and prosecution of pending cases.

He called on other state governments to establish similar commissions to complement and sustain Federal Government efforts at fighting the war against corruption.

Rimingado said establishing similar commission in all the states of the federation would deepen the federal government’s effort in the anti-corruption crusade.

“His Excellency has always been given his support to this noble course of the fight against the scourge of corruption in Kano State and the country at large,’’ he said.

He commended the leadership of the Nigerian Postal Service for their commitment towards complementing the efforts of all the anti-graft agencies in the country.

“This occasion is quite another unique and bold step in the national campaign against corruption by the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari,’’ he said.

He urged other government agencies and parastatals to emulate this brilliant and bold initiative with a view to supporting, complementing and accelerating the federal government’s efforts towards stamping the evil of corruption from the socio-economic and political spheres of Nigeria.

The chairman noted that the fight against corruption is a collective one, pointing out that the objective can be achieved by adhering to the overall principles and wisdom of the change mantra.

He said the successes being recorded by the anti-graft agencies in the country is a clear indication that the federal government was winning the war against corruption.

“The present administration is still recording unprecedented achievements in the fight against corruption, safeguarding citizen’s fundamental rights, ensuring transparency and accountability as well as complementing the efforts of the Federal Government in anti-corruption crusade.

“This is as a result of the tremendous support of His Excellency and the complete independence which the Commission enjoys as provided under the State Law that established it. Kano State Government has actually set the pace for other jurisdictions to follow.

“We must remain steadfast, fearless and committed in the fight against this scourge. This is because the scourge or cancer known as corruption and its agents have a sinister way of fighting back and truncating our development aspirations.

“We must therefore abide and continue to be guided by the rule of law and overall national interest in order to defeat corruption and uplift our status in the comity of nations,’’ Muhuyi said.

The Postmaster General of the federation, Dr Bisi Adegbuyi, said NIPOST had designed and launched a set of special anti-corruption postage stamps.

Represented by the Director, Human Resources, Alhaji Aliyu Mahmud, he said the unveiling of the stamp was historic in view of the fact Kano State was the only state in the country that established an anti-corruption agency.

He said the NIPOST initiative was borne out of the agency’s effort to drive the anti-corruption campaign to its height and spread its reach to all strata of Nigerian populace.

NAN also reports that the special anti-corruption postage stamps were of N50 denominations depicting “No To Bribery, fraud, bunkering and theft. (NAN)
MTM/JEY/MST

Edited by Johnson Eyiangho/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Economy

Ganduje pledges to ensure independence of state anti-graft agency

Ganduje pledges to ensure independence of state anti-graft agency

NAN-H-36

Independence

By Muntari Tukur

Kano, April 12, 2017 (NAN) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has pledged to ensure the independence of the state Public Complains and Anti-Corruption Commission to enable it discharge its responsibilities effectively.

Ganduje made the promise when he hosted some visiting journalists in Kano.

“We have instituted an anti-corruption bureau which is working very well.

“We made it independent. In fact, one of our commissioners has lost his job along other three permanent secretaries and some directors after being indicted by the anti-graft body,’’ he said.

The governor said the state government would continue to ensure that the anti-graft agency remained independent so as to enable it discharge its duties without interference.

He commended the anti-graft commission for discharging its responsibilities as expected, promising to give it all the necessary support and cooperation to ensure effective service delivery.

He said the agency had a synergy with EFCC and ICPC in the area of training of its staff, pointing out that the EFCC recently chose Kano to launch the anti-corruption day.

According to him, the state government had established offices in all the 44 local government areas for people to lodge their complaints for diligent investigation, prosecution and recovery.

Ganduje said the decision to establish the offices was in line with the state government’s desire and resolve to decentralise its activities and ensure adequate coverage of the state.

“We enacted a law forming the due process bureau ‎and we advertise all our contracts. We are precise on our specifications of our contracts.

“Our due process is a very strong outfit that allows people to check very well. That has assisted us in trying to find best prices for our projects,’’ he said.

On inflation, Ganduje said: “We always battle with the contractors to avoid reviewing the contracts. That itself is a kind of control.

“Even though sometimes it becomes inevitable even when the change is so abrupt, if you press hard, you still maintain the highest price because they will have to tap them up in order to succeed,’’ said the governor. (NAN)

MTM/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Economy

Kano State anti-graft agency to induct 120 workers

Kano State anti-graft agency to induct 120 workers

NAN-H-34

Training

By Muntari Tukur

Kano, April 3, 2017 (NAN) The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission says it will conduct an induction course for its 120 newly recruited staff.

Mr Muhiyi Rimingado, the Chairman of the commission, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Monday.

Rimingado explained that the training which would be conducted by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) would focus on basic investigation and anti-corruption skills.

“Arrangement has almost been completed to conduct induction course for the 120 newly employed staff of the agency to be conducted by the ICPC,” he said.

He said the training was designed to prepare the minds of the newly recruited staff to discharge their duties effectively and respond positively to the demands of the duty as expected by the commission.

He said after the training, the newly employed staff would be deployed to the various offices of the commission across the 44 local government areas of the state.

“This is part of our resolve to decentralise the activities of the commission and ensure effective coverage of the state,” said Rimingado.

According to him, no fewer than 45 staff of the commission attended a course on investigation skills at the Kano State Police Command as part of effort to sharpen their skills.

He said the staff, who had completed the training, would support the commission in investigation of its various cases.

“The affected staff were trained on identifying key crime management areas, managing crime scenes and goals of improved investigations,’’ he said.

The chairman said other areas include developing effective communication skills, styles of questioning, witness interviewing, recording witness statements and suspects interview as well as court skills.

Rimingado expressed optimism that the training would ensure effective service delivery at the commission to improve staff confidence. (NAN) MTM/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

$533,000 Scholarship Scam: Kano State anti-graft agency seals ex-commissioner’s hospital

$533,000 Scholarship Scam: Kano State anti-graft agency seals ex-commissioner’s hospital

NAN-H-11

Hospital

By Mustapha Yauri

Abuja, March 23, 2017 (NAN) The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission has sealed a hospital belonging to a former Commissioner for Health in the state over alleged diversion of 533,000 dollars (about N163 million).

The Chairman of the commission, Mr Muhuyi Rimingado, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) by telephone on Thursday in Abuja.

Rimingado said that the health facility, New Age Diabetic Clinic, located at Dorayi Babba in Kano, belonged to Dr Abubakar Yusuf, the former commissioner for health allegedly involved in the scholarship scam.

He said the amount was part of 1.5 million dollars (about N458 million) meant for the payment of scholarship grants to 139 students sponsored by the previous government to study at Al-Mansuora International University, Egypt.

He explained that the commission’s attention was drawn to the development following complaints of non-payment of the allowances by the students.

The chairman said that the allowances covered the 2012 to 2014 tuition and accommodation fees of the students.

Rimingado said that the subsequent seizure of 200,000 dollars (about N61 million) by authorities at the Cairo International Airport from a Nigerian bound for Kano was also directly linked to the ex-commissioner.

The chairman said that the suspect had confessed his connection to the seized $200,000.

“Yusuf said the money was meant to finance a company they created but could not provide the source of the fund and the reason for the attempt to smuggle it into the country,’’ the chairman said.

“In the course of investigation, one of the directors at the Ministry of Health confirmed that he served the former commissioner with the money sourced from the consultant to the students’ scholarship scheme,” Rimingado added.

He said the consultant collected 1.5 million dollars from the Kano Government for the scholarship scheme, but how the fund was disbursed remained suspicious.

The Chairman said: “This is an act punishable under sections 22, 23, 40 and 41 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Law 2008 (as amended)”.

The law empowers the commission to seize any money or property suspected to have been acquired fraudulently or corruptly.

Such funds, assets or property belonging to suspects under investigation shall remain in the custody of the commission pending final court verdict or at the discretion of the anti-graft agency.

He assured the public of the commission’s commitment to ensure justice, equity and fairness to all and sundry in the discharge of its mandate.

NAN also recalls that the commission is investigating staff of the state Judiciary over alleged non-remittance of about N100 million revenue to government coffers.

The anti-graft agency is also investigating some workers of the state traffic control authority (KAROTA) over an alleged N50 million corruption case. (NAN)

AM/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola