Corruption is existential threat to all nations, says Buhari

By Egena Sunday Ode

President Muhammadu Buhari has said he wished that the foundation laid by this administration in the war against graft would be sustained by successive governments in the country, noting that corruption remains an existential threat to nations.

The President spoke

Thursday at the State House, Abuja, while playing host to Management of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, led by the Chairman, Danladi Yakubu Umar.

Buhari described the Code of Conduct Tribunal as “an important tool in our fight against corruption over the last seven years,” adding that such frontline agencies, “which are in the trenches are relied upon to demonstrate that the government means what it says and remains committed against corruption in all its forms.”

The President expressed his desire for a sustained anti-graft war thus: “It is our hope that the foundation which has been laid by this administration will be carried forward and continued, as the issue of corruption remains an existential threat to all nations.”

President Buhari recognized the sacrifices being made by the Code of Conduct Tribunal and similar agencies “in the midst of very challenging economic and revenue shortages,” and pledged innovative and new models of financing very important agencies and work programs that are critical.

In his remarks, the Tribunal Chairman, Danladi Umar, commended the Buhari administration for the salutary impact it has made in the area of infrastructural development, agriculture, and provision of social services, among others. He said the Tribunal was hampered by funding challenges, poor staffing, and appealed for intervention of the President.

Anambra plans to digitalise LG operations

The Anambra State Local Government Service Commission says plans are underway to digitalise its operations to comply with international best practices.

Mr Ifeanyi Ezeaka, Chairman of the commission, made the disclosure on Thursday in Awka, at a digital literacy training for Local Government Employees, organised by Integral Development Konsult (IDK).

Ezeaka said, “This training is one of the efforts to actualise the initiative of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo’s administration, which is to digitalise the state and make it a prosperous and liveable homeland.

“This is to ensure that every local government staff is computer literate. After this training, there shall be no appointment of personnel who are not computer literate.

“We are digitalising the entire system of the commission, including an ICT centre fully furnished with computers and will be connecting all the 21 local governments online.”

He urged participants to take the training seriously to reciprocate the state government’s huge investment on capacity building.

Declaring the training open, Gov. Soludo said that the local government operations was critical to his administration.

Soludo, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Ernest Ezeajughi, said that the training would further improve the skills, and competence of the local government employees in the state.

He said that his administration was committed to ensuring regular training and re-training of employees.

“We are investing tax payers money in this project, we appeal to participants to justify the investment in the training, by becoming the best in their line of duties,” he said. (NAN)