The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has warned public officials against engaging in fraudulent practices, stressing that public office is a responsibility to safeguard public resources rather than an opportunity for personal enrichment.
Naijaonpoint reports that Olukoyede gave the warning on Thursday in Abuja while delivering a lecture at a two-day induction programme organised by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) for the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and members of the Governing Board of the South-South Development Commission (SSDC).
Speaking on the theme, “The Role of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Improving Accountability in the Public Service,” the EFCC chairman said accountability required public resources to be managed ethically, efficiently and in the interest of citizens.
Olukoyede lamented that corruption continued to frustrate prudent management of government resources, with billions of naira lost annually through fraudulent practices in the public sector.
“Annual losses to corruption in Nigeria’s Public Service run into billions of naira as resources for the provision of physical infrastructure and social services are often converted to private use by public servants,” he said.
He listed common forms of corruption in the public service to include diversion of public funds, bribery, kickbacks, contract fraud, payroll and pension fraud, duty tour allowance fraud and outright theft from the treasury.
The EFCC boss described procurement and contract fraud as the most common form of corruption in government institutions.
“From my experience in regulatory compliance, by far the most common form of corruption within the public service space is contract fraud, where those who lead government establishments set out to enrich themselves by rigging the procurement process,” he said.
According to him, the practice often manifests through contract splitting to avoid approval thresholds, bid manipulation, awards to unqualified contractors and payments for poorly executed or abandoned projects.
Addressing the newly inaugurated SSDC officials, Olukoyede urged them not to regard their appointments as an opportunity to enrich themselves.
“I imagine that you all have been receiving tons of congratulatory messages on your appointment, and those close to you would have reminded you that this is an opportunity to grab a slice of the proverbial national cake. Please, tread with caution. Public service is not an invitation to loot the treasury,” he said.
He advised the officials to familiarise themselves with the Financial Regulations, Public Service Rules and the Public Procurement Act to ensure compliance with existing laws.
Olukoyede also identified limited resources, inadequate manpower, poor public support, delays in prosecuting high-profile corruption cases and allegations of selective prosecution as some of the challenges confronting the anti-corruption campaign.
He further warned the officials against operating foreign bank accounts, engaging in businesses that conflict with their public duties, seeking contracts from their own institutions through proxies or carrying out financial transactions outside recognised financial institutions.
“As a member of the SSDC, familiarise yourself with the Procurement Act and be guided. You should not be jostling for contracts from the SSDC either directly or through fronts,” he said.
He also urged the officials to maintain proper financial records and carefully scrutinise documents before endorsing them.
“Before you sign that document, study it. Your signature is your name and integrity. Guard it,” Olukoyede added.
