Gombe gov vows to fight corruption, leads youths in anti-corruption walk

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5 years ago

Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has vowed to entrench good governance, stamp out corruption in the state just as he led an anti-corruption walk to further demonstrate his commitment towards entrenching good governance and fighting illicit financial flow in the state.

The walk which was Tagged, ‘Nigerian Youths Walk Against Corruption’ was organised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development and the National Youths Service Corps and was staged simultaneously nationwide with the aim of enlisting public support in the anti-corruption campaign.

Inuwa Yahaya, alongside his cabinet members, joined officials of EFCC, NYSC, Nigerian Students’ Union and many Civil Society Groups in the nearly 4 km long walk across the major streets of Gombe metropolis.

The Governor led the walk to further identify with and complement President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort in the fight against financial crimes in Nigeria.

While addressing the people that joined him in the rally, Governor Inuwa Yahaya according to a statement by Ismaila Uba Misilli, Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor stressed the need for the formation of a formidable force and united front by all relevant bodies and stakeholders to ensure that corruption is eliminated in all its ramifications, saying, “We must take this from our own frontlines and extend the frontier to cover all other areas of human endeavours.”

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He said before the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, people were allowed to perpetuate corruption without recourse to the socio-economic well being of the people, noting that such impunity has now been curtailed to a large extent as Nigerians can now attest to the President’s determination to take the corruption fight to the end.

The Governor remarked that “As we all know, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is committed to fighting the monster and is leading the campaign in all fronts, likewise down the ladder here in the state, we are doing everything necessary and possible within our constitutional mandate to complement the Federal Government’s effort in that direction”.

He added that “That is why I and my cabinet members today physically joined this campaign with a view to encouraging our youths and to make the position of Gombe state government clear in this struggle”.

Inuwa Yahaya who recalled with nostalgia the good days in the early 80s, when Nigeria was a beacon of accountability and transparency when up to four vacancies were available for graduates to choose from upon completing their studies and service years.

He noted that Nigeria has the capacity to accommodate all Nigerian youths in securing means of livelihood for them, but lamented that economic saboteurs across public and private sectors of the economy changed the narrative the negative way, shattering the dreams of numerous Nigerian youths from realizing their goals.

The Governor called on Nigerian youths not to relent in pursuing their dreams against all odds, adding that their critical role in fighting corruption will significantly help in restoring sanity and transparency in governance at all levels.

Earlier in their separate remarks, the North-East Zonal Coordinator of EFCC, State NYSC Coordinator and the representative of the Students Union Council lauded Governor Yahaya for the morale booster and his avowed stance against corruption.

The NYSC State Coordinator, David Markson thanked Governor Inuwa Yahaya for leading the walk, describing the Governor’s physical presence at the event as an encouragement to the younger generation.

On his part, the Zonal Head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Michael Wetkass, who applauded Governor Yahaya, said if people in the position of authority can lead the fight against corruption then there is hope for Nigeria.

Michael Wetkass who stood in the for the Acting Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Magu, appealed to all Nigerians to support the crusade against corruption, adding that a corrupt-free society offers multiple job opportunities for its teeming youths.