FG should reform, empower institutions to achieve change—Ahmed

FOR the national orientation campaign, Change Begins with Me (CBWM) of the present government to achieve its objectives, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has said that the federal government must reform and empower key institutions concerned with enforcing compliance with the provisions of the law.

Speaking at the launching of the CBWM campaign and that of the state government’s Kick Indiscipline and Corruption Out of Kwara state in Ilorin on Monday, the governor said that people were less likely to indulge in corruption, indiscipline and other infractions against the law if they are confident that the law is endowed to catch up with and punish offenders.

“Let me state emphatically that change does not come easily. It requires time, tenacity, sincerity, and personal sacrifice on all our parts”, he said, calling on Nigerians to give the two campaigns the needed support.

Also speaking, the state commissioner for Information, Mallam Babatunde Ajeigbe, said that corruption is an offshoot of indiscipline, adding that it was the culture of indiscipline that brought financial and moral decadence in every ramification.

“To eradicate corruption, we require individuals who are incorruptible. Since corruption begins in the mind, we can individually alter our values from materialistic tendencies which is presently our topmost priority for a change to begin with us and the society should stop indulging in self aggrandizement which put the credibility of politicians, bureaucrats, judiciary and the general public at stake for a good change”, he said.

The commissioner, who identified fundamental factors that engendered corrupt practices in the developing nations like Nigeria, mentioned inequality in distribution of wealth, change in moral code and cultural values, wrong political mindset and weak social and governmental enforcement mechanism.

In his speech, the Kwara state Director, National Orientation (NAO), Olusegun Adeyemi, said that the fight against corruption cannot begin with government alone, adding that, “You and I must be at the forefront in the fight against corruption in our private lives. Because before we can experience positive changes in the nation each person must change from the wrong ways of doing things and carry out his duties in the right way”.