Delight Chinedum

Permanent Secretaries and other accounting officers across government agencies in Anambra State have been urged to key into the anti-corruption campaign in the state.

The Coordinator, Rule of Law and Anti-corruption (RoLAC 2) programme Dr Josephine Onah, made the call during a capacity building workshop for permanent secretaries and other oversight officers drawn from various ministries departments and agencies.

She said the meeting was designed to enable the oversight officers to properly understand their place and role in the implementation of the Anambra State Anti-Corruption Strategy, (ANSACS)

“It is important you understand that ANSACS is a strategy meant to look at the systems in our various MDAs to pick out the system errors and be able to strengthen it.

“It is geared towards system strengthening because if you fight the errors and vulnerabilities in the system, you will be able to close the gaps in terms of corruption.

“You need to understand the role your subordinates – members of Anti-Corruption Committees. We expect a very seamless relationship between the oversight officials and the ACC members. If you don’t play the oversight, then it amounts to nothing”.
She advised the top government functionaries to ask questions and demand regular reports and feedbacks at the end of the defined period of reportage. “This will ensure that ACC members in MDAs submit the reports.

“It is from this report that they will look at and understand what has been going on in the anti-corruption implementation space and be able to make policy decisions on the things that require their attention”.

In a speech, the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service, Dr Bayo Ojerinde, urged fellow permanent secretaries spare no efforts towards ensuring that the anti-corruption campaign succeeds in the area.

“If we are not there, this thing will not work. We have to build on the gains of RoLAC 1 so that the implementation of RoLAC 2 will be a success. We need to know that our action is required so that this one will be a success.

“We have made a lot of milestones but we have to continue. This is a strategy valid from 2024 to 2028. It’s about strengthening the institution. It’s not about catching thieves. We are trying to strengthen our institution to make it difficult even for those of us here to manipulate it.

RoLAC Lead Consultant, Professor Ada Chidi-Igbokwe, charged participants to patriotically drive ANSACS implementation to ride public service of corruption.
“ANSACS seeks to improve our governance. It’s looking at improving our services. Activities contained in the strategy are in line with the mandates of your various MDAs.

“For instance, the Ministry of Justice will not say that they need money for them to enact laws, or to review laws. The House of Assembly will not tell you that they need money in order to pass this because that’s why they are there.

She reiterated the critical place the MDAs occupy in the successful implementation of the strategy. “If the MDAs do not implement, then implementation will not happen. M & E committee members have been deployed to the ministries and the pilot agencies”.