Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf
Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf has decried what he termed the potential for grand and petty corruption in the local governments in the state.
He made the remark on Saturday while declaring a two-day workshop organised for personnel of the 44 local governments, held in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area in the state, stressing that the government will not condone corruption.
Yusuf said, “The government has noticed with dismay the potential for both grand and petty corruption at the grassroots level. This has been realised as a result of this administration’s effort to give the local government councils full access to their funds, even before the apex court’s intervention.”
Yusuf stated that his administration would continue introducing more measures to combat corruption in the state.
“We shall also continue to implement more measures aimed at checkmating corruption and will continue to support the State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, the organisers of this programme. This is to achieve its mandate through enhanced financing and oversight monitoring while maintaining our non-interference policy for optimum performance.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to commend all other stakeholders in the anti-corruption community in Nigeria, both state and non-state actors, such as the EFCC and ICPC, among others, for supporting our anti-corruption efforts, which stand tall among all the sub-national initiatives in the country,” the governor said.
He mentioned that the workshop aimed to sensitise the participants to be fully aware of their hopes and aspirations toward ensuring transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness in governance.
Yusuf said, “This is to bring the participants on board with our administration’s principles of good governance, which have always enabled us to develop meaningful projects in our effort to restore our dear state to its past glory.”
He stated that this underscored the importance his administration attached to the fight against corruption and, more importantly, to transparency and accountability in governance.
Yusuf said, “Our government is founded on the principles of transparency and accountability, as well as the entrenchment of the rule of law in our society. This takes into account the Supreme Court’s verdict relating to local government administration in the country.
“And as a true believer in the rule of law, the Kano State Government, under my leadership, dissolved the 44 Local Governments Interim Management Committees. We have made the civil servants, who are strategically and statutorily positioned to fill any vacuum in governance, oversee the affairs of the local government councils. This is while preparations are in top gear to fill the absence of the public officers, as a result of the court’s judgement, through democratic means.”
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of the commission, Muhuyi Rimin-Gado, said the workshop was held based on the directives of the governor.
Rimin-Gado explained that the event was a follow-up to the governor’s directives from the previous seminar, which was also held in Dawakin Kudu. He also stated that the programme was predicated on a report from the commission sent to Yusuf regarding a certain investigation it was directed to conduct.
