Our relationship with Auditor-General is to block revenue leakages ― ICPC chairman

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Chairman, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye has explained that the commission’s relationship with the Auditor-General was to initiate new strategies and efforts to block leakages in Nigeria’s revenue-generating systems.

Professor Owasanoye, who lamented that the revenue-generating systems which accountability mechanisms have been dysfunctional, insisted that the collaboration was to tackle at the very root the factors that lead to revenue loss, diversions, infractions and quickly punish based on the ICPC legislation.

According to him: “The Auditor-General’s office does its work and sends to the National Assembly, and sometimes until it is debated and made public, other law enforcement agencies may not be privy to it.”

While speaking in Abuja during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the two agencies, the ICPC chairman said, last year, the commission, in its effort to fulfill its mandate, focused on the utilisation of the Personnel Cost of about 208 MDAs and was able to restrain over N40 billion from being misspent.

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A statement authorised by the commission’s spokesperson, Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday in Abuja, quoted the chairman as saying: “Therefore, we would start this assignment by focusing on revenue-generating agencies, looking at their systems through specialized audits.

“We solicit the cooperation of the agencies we are to start with because the intention is to find wrong and deal with it decisively.” He vowed.

Also speaking, the Auditor-General of the Federation, Anthony Ayine, said that the partnership would entail a joint work-plan and joint visits; and that it would send a strong signal to Nigerians that the fight against corruption had taken on a new level.

“Through this event, we are making sure that Nigerians are aware of our partnership, and we are expected to be held accountable for results. Our plan is to report back to Nigerians on the first stage of the partnership by May 2020, and agree to target N100 billion in savings, efficiency gains and financial impacts to be achieved within one year.” He added.