As part of efforts, aimed at sensitising and mobilising citizens to be actively involved in the fight against corruption across the country because of corruption’s adverse effects on the poor, Government’s capability to provide basic services, and economic development, Actionaid Nigeria, AAN, a non-governmental organisation and member of ActionAid global federation, yesterday began a 2-day stakeholders dialogue in Kano.
With the theme: ”Enhancing Citizens’ Effective Participation in the Fight Against Corruption, the organization explained that the event which is under its Strengthening Citizens Resistance Against Prevalence of Corruption’, (SCRAP-C) project seeks to change public attitudes to corruption, and help create corruption averse mentality through campaigns, research, capacity building, advocacy and dialogues.
ActionAID Country Director, Ene Obi, in her welcome address, urged participants including grassroots women to be involved in the fight against corruption.This is just as she advised parents to always query sources of wealth of their children and raise relevant questions when necessary about suspicious issues.
The head of the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, Magaji Ramindado, who spoke at the event explained why the commission could not probe Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s alleged bribery scandal.
According to him, the agency was “not carried along” in the investigation by the newspaper that reported the case, adding that the governor’s immunity had also barred the commission from taking action.
In October 2018, a video published by the newspaper Daily Nigerian, had shown Ganduje receiving wads of dollars. The newspaper said the governor collected $5,000 as kickback from a government contractor.
Ramindado added that the commission also failed to act because it did not know the motive of the journalist who released the video.“On the issue of dollar bribery scandal and the accusation that we have not probed the governor, people have forgotten that governors enjoy immunity,” he said.
On the allegation of a gorilla swallowing money at a Kano zoo, he said preliminary investigations showed that there was a robbery incident at the zoo on June 8.He, however, alleged that the management of the zoo could be found wanting for keeping such huge resources at the zoo in spite of the treasury single account system being operated by the state.
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