Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has commissioned the new Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) office with a call on the National Assembly to amend the laws establishing the Anti-Corruption Agencies in the country.
Gov. Tambuwal while commissioning the new office complex in the Sokoto said the call became necessary in order to strenghten the process of petitioning by possibly bringing a novel idea of supporting every petition with an affidavit, photograph and signature of the petitioner.
He explained that this will save precious time of investigators, the police and all of those who are involved in the fight against corruption, stressing that overall it will salvage the course of law.
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Tambuwal said ” by the time they wasted so much time on investigating petition that are anonymous and have no substance, it will be difficult for them to concentrate and face genuine cases of corruption and fight more vigourously.”
Tambuwal who commended the government of Olusegun Obasanjo for establishing ICPC in 2000, maintained that the fight against corruption is a collective responsibility adding that all hands must be on deck to support the efforts of the federal government and indeed every agency of the federal government in the fight.
He commended the foresight of the commission in its establishment of the state offices in all the states of the federation while calling on the body to continue to resist pressures from political leaders in the fight against corruption.
The governor further said the state government is committed to continue supporting and collaborating with the Commission in the state, especially in the sensizitation of the public and civil servants on the issue of corruption and governance in the society.
In his address the Chairman of the ICPC Professor Bolaji Owasanye said the Sokoto state office started in February 2019 and was completed in March 2020 and has been in use since August 2020.
He said the commission is effectively operating in 15 states of the federation spread equally across the six geo- political zones.
Professor thanked the governor for providing a conducive environment which led to the early completion of the project.
He stressed the need for partnership and collaboration between the state government and the commission in the pursuit of its mandate to eradicate all forms of corruption in the country.