Lawan Chides Errant MDAs, Banks Over Funds Diversion
Wants anti-graft bodies to unmask fraud perpetrators
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI, ABUJA – President of the Nigerian Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has accused some banks of conniving with certain Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to divert public funds into private coffers.
To unmask those involved in this unholy alliance of defrauding the country, Senator Lawan is challenging all anti-corruption agencies to scrutinize activities of most financial institutions, especially in relations to their handling of public funds.
Specifically, the Senate President fingered certain categories of workers in government agencies as those behind the criminal act, insisting that the perpetrators must be exposed and brought to book.
Speaking after being inducted as a Patron by the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria in Abuja, Senator Lawan said; “Our anti-corruption agencies should go beyond looking at what the government agencies are doing. They should also look at what our banks are doing.
“Some of these banks, I don’t have figures or names, a lot of times we have placed implicit trust in them but monies are diverted and accounts that have no approval of the Accountant General to be opened are being operated.”
According to the Senate President; “Before the introduction of Treasury Single Account (TSA), we have had stories of hundreds of bank accounts operated by some agencies but of course, we know the limit the Accountant General of the Federation has approved for agencies of government to operate.”
He however maintained that efforts at checking corruption must involved all stakeholders in the Nigerian project for the anti-graft fight to succeed.
Canvassing that priority must be on preventive measures in fighting corruption, Senator Lawan said; “Whenever and wherever we want to fight corruption, we must ensure that we emphasise on prevention.”
He noted that with corruption having been in existence, “maybe as old as when human beings started to live on earth”, all hands must be on deck to tackle and defeat this societal menace
