Former Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume has urged President Mohammadu Buhari to urgently sign or issue an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) to further strengthen the fight against corruption in the country.
The Senator, who is the Chairman of Senate Standing Committee on Army, also urged the President to prevail on the National Assembly to pass the Proceeds of Crime Bill in time “regardless of bickering on the management of the proceeds recovered”.
Ndume spoke on Saturday in Ibadan while delivering the 2021 Distinguish Leadership Lecture Series organised by the University of Ibadan, saying the UWO would help check pilfering of the public commonwealth by politicians, top public servants, and civil servants
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture, titled: “The Unexplained Wealth and the Fight Against Corruption in Nigeria” was held at the Trenchard Hall of the University.
The lawmaker, who represents the Borno South Senatorial District in the red chamber, said the government must demonstrate greater interest in tackling incidence of corruption, “most especially, those occasioned by public officers who are in trust of public wealth. Our crusade against this monster (corruption) should start from politicians, top public servants, civil servants down to local governments’ staff.
“For the perpetrators, it is not difficult to identify the tendencies exhibited by these officers; acquiring landed property in and outside the country, having fat bank deposits, buying expensive cars, or marrying so many wives.”
He further said the fight against corruption was a fight for the nation and must start from the top to the bottom, adding; “It changes our good culture, it breeds injustice and impunity, every citizen has a role to play.”
On effective ways to address the menace, Senator Ndume said the government must go a step further to protect the whistleblowers, even as he canvassed that the whistleblower policy must be revisited; noting that motivation for whistleblowers should be patriotism and not specifically the reward.
According to him, the whistleblowers must be active at all levels inclusive of local areas, adding that the blowers must not be scared but be protected by law at whatever cost.
He called on relevant anti-corruption agencies such as Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), and Department of State Security (DSS) to take whistleblowers seriously, carry out investigation on whistleblowing reports “however casual it may be”.
Insisting that any whistleblower that allegedly lies should be taken to court, Senator Ndume also said the Code of Conduct Bureau owes it a duty to request every public officer to make a declaration of asset periodically and should verify the claims periodically or when complaints are lodged.
The lawmaker, who also charged the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other relevant agencies of government to embark on vigorous sensitisation against corruption, used the opportunity of the event to announce the donation of N1million as scholarship to assist some indigent students of the institution
Earlier in his welcome remarks, Prof Kayode Adebowale, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, said that the institution was tackling corruption in an organic way.
According to him, nearly every undergraduate student in the University takes a course in Ethics, either as a compulsory general studies course or as a regular department-based course.
He said the institution believed that exposure to the courses would go a long way in imbibing in the students the anti-corruption disposition.
Three serving senators- Olubunmi Adetunbi, representing Ekiti North; Fatai Buhari, representing Oyo North and Kola Balogun, representing Oyo South were among dignitaries at the lecture. – NAN
