ABUJA (Min of Justice Report) – The Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata, SAN, has expressed the Ministry’s unwavering support in bringing corruption to a standstill, in Nigeria
Mr. Apata, made this assertion at the occasion of the Anti- Corruption Sensitisation Workshop for Directorate Cadre Officers on GLs 15-16 organised by the Anti- Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Unit (ACTU) of the Ministry, in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) at the Ministry’s Obasanjo Auditorium, on Friday 15th November, 2019.
Mr. Apata who was represented by the Director, Civil Litigation and Public Law, Mrs. Anne Akwiwu, emphasized that corruption has been one of the major problems facing Nigeria, pervading all strata of society, negating every principle of good governance and the rule of law.
As a result, he said, various institutions and mechanisms were put in place to fight corruption and mitigate its effects within the society. According to him, one of such institutions is the ICPC, which was established under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, Cap C31 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
He explained that ACTU was initiated by ICPC aimed at institutionalizing the anti-corruption war in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, to prohibit and prevent corruption, especially within the Public Service.
He explained further that the sensitization workshop is very significant in the history of the Ministry as it will enhance operational activities of the ACTU of the Ministry, which explains the Ministry’s commitment in line with the agenda of the present administration to reduce corruption to the barest minimum.
He said, “The Anti-Corruption Unit is charged with the responsibility of preventing corruption through systems study and review, as well as the education and enlightenment of public servants and the general public, for the purpose of reducing work-place corrupt practices to the barest minimum. It is believed that this will go a long way in entrenching the required positive values in the Nation’s workforce”.
Apata urged the participants to cooperate with the Anti- Corruption Unit whose activities complements Management’s effort in curbing corruption. He also charged members of the Unit to be diligent in the discharge of their mandate and live up to the trust reposed in them by the present administration in its quest to eradicate corruption.
In his welcome address, Acting Director Special Duty/Chairman, ACTU, Mr Odesanya Kolawole, said corruption had assumed enormous proportion and has constituted serious national problems including; bribery, forgery, falsification of account figures or date of birth, perversion of justice, election malpractices, hoarding and smuggling, faulty invoicing of goods, fraud and a lot more, all which he described as negative to good governance and the rule of law which the Ministry stands for.
He explained that the ICPC Bill signed into law on 13th June, 2000, was meant to prohibit corrupt practices, corrupt enrichment and the enthronement of probity, accountability, transparency, honesty, integrity and credibility in public life. It also prescribed punishment for corrupt practices and other related offences.
He therefore called on all Heads of Departments, Units and Staff of the Ministry to co-operate with the ACTU Unit and Committee in the discharge of their mandates while assuring members continued resistance to all kinds of temptations and negative influences devoid of vindictiveness, intimidation and witch-hunting.
Ogundoro Modupe
DD(Press & Public Relations)
