The Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAuGF) and ICPC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to curb corruption in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) across the country.
Mr Anthony Mkpe-Ayine, the Auditor-General for the Federation, said during the ceremony in Abuja on Wednesday, that the move was also to strengthen accountability and remove revenue leakages in the system.
Mkpe-Ayine said the collaboration would aid information sharing and capacity building between them, adding that the team would focus on revenue generating agencies to stop revenue leakages.
According to him, the fight against corruption has taken a different level.
“We have been doing well on our own way by highlighting weaknesses and losses of funds through our annual audit report.
“When we work in silos, we will not achieve much but when we work together with agencies and institutions fighting corruption, the effect will be great.
“As auditors, we lack enforcement powers but the ICPC has the power and the complementary effect of our collaboration will help us achieve so much.
“We may have information but when this information is not provided seamlessly to law enforcement agencies such as the ICPC, we have inadvertedly created duplication of efforts.
“We are focusing as priority on revenue generating agencies because we are convinced that God has blessed this country tremendously.
“I think there are resources in this country that if properly harnessed will help the nation.
“Year in year out, we have illicit budget and it is natural that focusing on revenue generating agencies will help the government to step up its revenue.
“It is our view that when this happens, funding of budget, even this year’s budget, will be easy,’’ he stated.
The Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, said that the initiative was a new strategy to deal with corruption.
Owasanoye said the commission was empowered to enforce laws against corruption by investigations and when necessary, prosecution.
He said the commission was also mandated to take preventive measures by doing systems review as well as engaging the public in the fight.
He said that staff of the commission and the auditor-general’s office had been trained in preparation for the activities of the team by next week.
The chairman said the commission would exhibit its enforcement powers where necessary.
“For us at ICPC, what we hope to achieve is to nip in the bud as quickly as possible some of the findings or defaults that lead to huge revenue losses, diversion and infractions,” he said.
Owasanoye said where some of the corrupt practices had occurred, ICPC hoped to be able to quickly punish, based on its own legislation.
“We will start this assignment by focusing on revenue generating agencies looking at systems and processes.
“If we find that revenue has moved in the wrong direction, we will encourage it to come back and if we need to take enforcement measures, we will take it.
“Radical problems deserves radical solution. We hope that this initiative will have a preventive impact. Impunity escalates when nobody cares, looks or asks questions.
“We are making it clear to the entire nation that we are going to be asking questions,’’ he said.
He expressed optimism that the exercise would be executed with the highest standard of professionalism and integrity. (NAN)
