By ISAAC AREGBESOLA

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has expressed determination to sanction corrupt state Houses of Assembly legislators.

Dr Musa Aliyu, the Chairman of ICPC, communicated this on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening of a three-day capacity building workshop for Jigawa State Legislators.

The theme of the workshop is “Transparency and Accountability: Effective Legislative Tools Towards Successful Mandate Delivery.’’

Musa, who expressed concern over the level of corruption in the country, stressed the need for the legislators to live above board and be seen to do so in all their public and private functions.

The chairman pledged the commission’s readiness to partner with the state legislative arm of government to fight corruption.

He said the ICPC would continue to carry out its three-pronged mandate of enforcement, prevention, public education and mass mobilisation within the confines of the law.

“We are ready to partner with the state legislature to advance the fight against corruption as we have done and are still doing with other arms and tiers of government.

“However, we will succeed in wielding the big stick when the occasion demands that we do so.’’

According to him, the relevance of the legislature in democratic governance needs not be overemphasised.

“The oversight function is critical in ensuring that the legislature’s intent in making laws that will improve the living standard of the poor is reflected in the performance of the executive functions.

“As important as its role in government is, the state legislature must endeavour to conduct its oversight functions within the ambit of the law that established the House of Assembly.

“Legislators should live above board and should be seen to do so in all their public and private functions.’’

He said that the interest and unity of the country, as demonstrated by the administration of President Bola Tinubu, should override the personal and collective interests of members of this critical arm of government.

“The principle of separation of powers must be respected and observed; encroaching on the functions of the executive and judiciary undermines democracy and good governance.

“Additionally, the legislature is expected to detect waste, inefficiency, ineffectiveness, corruption and mismanagement of public resources.

“However, these functions can only be effectively discharged by the legislative arm of government if it embraces transparency and accountability in its operations; this is why this workshop is so important,” he said.

The Speaker, Jigawa House of Assembly, Haruna Dangyatin, who was represented by the Deputy Speaker, Sani Abubakar, said the workshop was very timely and very good for all the members.

He promised the assembly’s collaboration with the ICPC in its fight against corruption making laws to address the menace in every sector in the state.

“I believe that the knowledge we will receive will assist us in delivering our mandate.

“We are going to make very good use of what we are going to learn; in terms of legislation, we will make laws.

“We have to conduct very good oversight to make sure that the money allocated to MDAs is being spent as expected to be spent and ensure proper budget implementation,” he said.

Richard Bello, acting Director, Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), said that the academy was working with stakeholders to build capacity to tackle corruption in different sectors.

He described legislative arm of government as a veritable partner in the quest to tackle corruption in the country, and ready tools that could be deployed to fight corruption.

“The importance of working with the legislative arm of government at both federal and state levels in combating the phenomenon of corruption can never be overstated.

“Legislators as direct representatives of the people in the corridors of power occupy a very sensitive position in a democratic setting such as ours in this country.

“The need to communicate the appropriate message down the line has never been more urgent than now.

“The crusade against corruption has moved to a critical stage in recent months and the realisation of the damage that the phenomenon is doing to the nation has made it even more urgent.’’

According to him, naturally, the society expects anti-corruption agencies to lead the crusade against the phenomenon.

“But we must also accept the fact that the anti-corruption agencies cannot alone on their own, fight and win the battle against corruption.

“The agencies need to work with various segments of the population in taking the battle to all corners and all sectors,” he said. (NAN)

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