Senate President Ahmad Lawan has said the Senate will release new strategies to the public on the fight against corruption in the next few weeks.

Lawan spoke yesterday in Abuja at the two-day National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector.

The event was organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

Lawan, who was represented by Senator Suleiman Kwari, said the Senate just discovered that the anti-graft war was far from over, hence the need for the action.

“The next few weeks, new surveys on corruption will be released to the public.

“We also find out that there is undeniable linkage between corruption, insecurity, lost developmental opportunity and poverty.

“For us in Parliament, one of the four challenges of this Senate is how to forge a strong collaborating linkage with at least six standing committees …with overlapping oversight jurisdictions.

“Today, I am pleased to inform you of the Senate leadership’s approval of a legislative forum to fight corruption and financial crime within the Senate vault,” he said.

The senator added that the Upper Chamber would continue to reach out to all the stakeholders in the fight against corruption.

“Graft is a borderless and global problem that must be handled in all ramifications. We, therefore, require a concerted effort of all to eradicate it.

“In Nigeria today, there are at least 20 different legislations that have direct bearing on the fight against corruption and financial crime.

“As a direct result, we are exploring all available options to strengthen specific institutions, like the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

“If they have to succeed, they have to be well funded so that they can be well empowered to carry out their mandate,” Lawan added.

The Senate President assured the nation that “over the next budget circle, we will be systematically increasing the funding of law enforcement and other anti-corruption agencies”.

He added: “We will also be benchmarking their performance to ensure that the value for tax payers’ money is met.”

SGF Boss Mustapha said the summit was organised for top government officials drawn from the three arms of government as part of new strategies against corruption.

He said the present administration had recorded some successes in the fight against graft.

The SGF said President Muhammadu Buhari was honoured as Africa’s Champion in the fight against corruption in recognition of his efforts on the continent.

Mustapha noted that at domestic level, several policies were being implemented to address corrupt practices in the public sector, which had been yielding positive results.

“This summit, therefore, presents the opportunity to re-evaluate the effectiveness of these measures put in place and where necessary develop new strategies to strengthen our common resolve to rid the public sector of corrupt practices.

“The brainstorming session is to seek ways of blocking identified loopholes in the fight against corruption under the current administration and as a further guide in the implementation of ways to curb corrupt practices in the public sector.

“Today’s event is epochal as it stands to evaluate the successes recorded so far and find solutions to where there are weaknesses and the need to recognise and reward anti-corruption ambassadors,” Mustapha said.

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammad, urged Nigerians to stop seeing corruption as a way of life.

He advised them to embrace modesty to erase any trace of corruption in the country.

The CJN stressed that the current war against corruption by the ICPC had recorded good results while the international community had changed its negative perception of the country.

Mohammed added that the commission had secured several prosecutions and some sentences through the court.

(The Nation)

Update news