Bauchi State’s Gov. Bala Mohammed said in Bauchi on Thursday that for any government to succeed it must be determined to fight corruption and indiscipline headlong.
Mohammed made the remark at the start of a two-day anti-corruption summit organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Related Commission (ICPC) and Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit was organised in collaboration between the Bauchi State Government, ICPC and ACAN.
The governor said that it was designed to sensitise the state’s political office holders and other aides of the government and create insight into the emerging trend and development in public administration.
“You will agree with me that good governance is the soul of any democracy and for any government to succeed, it must be seen to fight corruption and indiscipline headlong,’’ Mohammed said.
He called on participants to regard themselves as partners in the fight against corruption.
According to Mohammed, the fact that such a summit is taking place in Bauchi State is a clear indication that the state and the Federal Government are on the same page in the fight against corruption.
He said in his efforts to fight corruption, 2, 116 ghost workers had so far been uncovered and removed from the payroll of the state’s Ministry of Health.
Mohammed explained that among them were 100 doctors and 120 Primary Health Care “staff members’’.
Earlier, Prof. Sola Akinrinmade, the pioneer Provost of ACAN, said that this was the first of such summits for political office holders in the state.
Akinrinmade commended the government and the people of the state for their commitment toward the fight against the “monster called corruption’’.
He said that the anti-graft war could only be won when states and Local Government Councils joined hands with the Federal Government in tackling the scourge. (NAN)
