Gbenro Adesina
Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde on Tuesday December 22, 2020 inaugurated Oyo State Anti-corruption Agency (OYACA), saying that his administration would continue to maintain zero tolerance for corruption.
The board is made up of eight members led by the Chairman, Justice Eni Esan, a retired judge and former President of Oyo State Customary Court of Appeal. The secretary of the board is Ibrahim Oyemonla Tijani, the Director, Ministry of Justice. Other members are: Prince Oyebade Oyedepo, Barr Temitope Ayorinde, Dns Esther Olapade, A.S Ashaolu and CSP Erindero Lawrence.
Governor Makinde declared that anybody caught involving in corrupt act(s) in the state would be diligently prosecuted explaining that, henceforth, any person working in any capacity in the state’s public or civil service, who accepts or promises to accept money, fees, donations, loans, gifts for rendering a service to members of the public would be investigated and made to face the full wrath of the law.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of members, the governor declared that the commission will have no political bias adding that the state has become a worthy reference for other states across the country when it comes to fight against corruption.
He said that the establishment of the agency was to sanitise the public/civil service and ensure that everyone carries out their responsibilities without corruption.
His words, “The journey to this inauguration formally started about a year ago with the signing of the Oyo State Anti-Corruption Law 2019. The law is primarily directed at sanitising the public/civil service and ensuring that both public and civil servants at both the state and local government levels carry out their responsibilities without institutionalised corruption. When I was campaigning, we knew corruption was an issue and I basically divided corruption into two broad categories. We have the routine one, which the Okada riders, micra drivers, other people too engage in”.
He continued, “We meet policemen on the road and give them N50 or N100, because we don’t want any trouble. We just want to pay and go or people come into the secretariat and they want to get tax clearance for their lands, documents, even things that are as simple as validation of their state or local government of origin certificate.. They pay some money and go. That is what I call routine corruption. What can kill us and what is killing us is the systemic corruption or the institutionalised corruption. What I earn as the salary of a governor is about N600,000 and I am living at a level where I spend on a monthly basis N6,000,000, that is systemic corruption and it is institutionalised. We will be lying to ourselves if we do not acknowledge the endemic corruption in the system”.
“With the inauguration of the Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency, OYACA, we are sending out a clear message here in Oyo State. We have zero tolerance for corruption. So, any person, elected, employed or engaged in any capacity in the public or civil service in Oyo State, who accepts or promises to accept money, fees, donations, loans, gifts, or any other reward for rendering a service to members of the public will be investigated and be made to face the full wrath of the law. It will no longer be business as usual. Public/civil servants are called to serve, not to steal. And I trust that the members of OYACA will do all within their powers to ensure that all matters brought to their attention are judiciously handled. There are to be no sacred cows. Anyone who runs afoul of this law will be prosecuted swiftly”, he added.
According to the governor, “The goal should be that Oyo State public/civil service becomes the benchmark for the entire country. Of course, institution such as FRSC started here in Oyo State and it was adopted nationally. So, it is not the first time that we are setting the standard and the pace for the entire country. I will always maintain that for us to build the Nigeria we dream of, we must create strong systems and institutions. We must also be willing to work and make sacrifices for those systems to function correctly. This agency is part of the system we are putting in place. Instead of offering a bribe to get ahead of a particular contract or promotion, why not be patient and await your turn? Corruption works with a giver and a receiver. One side of it is the side of demand. If there is no demand, there won’t be a supply. So, there is the demand side and there is supply side. I don’t know whether it is elastic but I do know the two exist. So, I urge the good people of Oyo State to refrain from offering bribes and to refuse to give bribe to any public officer even if they insist on it”.
He said, “We have many channels to report such misconduct and there will be more channels on the way. For now, please make use of our feedback channels to make a report against any public officer who is involved in corruption including me. Some people may use my name to say His Excellency said we should do this or that. Please, I don’t have any agent or anyone to act on my behalf. So, report me to the agency. I promise I will come and defend myself for any report that comes to you regarding me, so also the rest of the cabinet. Let me also say this, it has nothing to do with politics. It is not PDP or APC and you are not to be used to witch-hunt anybody. Corruption does not know PDP or APC. So, let our people on the other side know that we will ask them to account for their stewardship if there is a need for that. If they go to town to say they are being witch-hunted, they will prove their innocence in the law court but not in front of you”.
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