President Muhammadu Buhari stated on Tuesday in Abuja that authorities who fraudulently recruit employees into the public employment, increase their payroll unnecessarily, and keep phantom workers will face punishment....CONTINUE READING
Buhari made the statement at the start of the 3rd National Summit on Fighting Corruption in the Public Sector. ‘Corruption and the Cost of Governance: New Imperatives for Fiscal Transparency’ is the theme for this year.
He further warned that, in addition to illegal recruitment, his administration will not hesitate to penalize leaders of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies who misrepresent new initiatives as continuing projects.
“By keeping our promise to complete abandoned or ongoing projects started by past administrations, we decreased the cost of governance,” claimed the president. “…. We’ve made sure that MDAs don’t propose new capital projects at the expense of existing ones.
Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, the Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), agreed, as he criticises the rising cost of governance and personnel budget due to illegal recruitment and increase in wages and remuneration. Multiple DMAs, including the Ministry of Labour and Employment as well, are on the list.
Owasanoye said the cases are due to ‘abuse of power’, supported by the ‘the complicity of compromised elements’ and are currently under investigation. Also Read: Anambra APC kicks over member’s return to PDP
The Minister of Labour and Employment said that he was the one who started the investigation in his ministry in 2019. By now, the investigation from 2019 should have been completed, and nothing new should be noted.
