Impunity in public finance : ICPC resolves to prosecute public servants with least infractions

Emmanuel Thomas l Wednesday, February 17, 2021

 

ABUJA, Nigeria – The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission(ICPC) has  resolved to prosecute public servants with the least infractions in the handling of public finances.

Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN made the disclosure during his presentation at a one day forum put together by the Budget Office and the ICPC for  budget officers, directors of finance and accounts at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National planning.

According to him, findings on the Open Treasury Portal(OTP) reveals payment of advances beyond approved limit of N200,000;  payment to staff of funds meant for loans to different empowerment beneficiary types;  in order to circumvent the rule, some MDAs had many payments below the N5 million threshold , such as multiple payments of N4.9m, N4.8 m ostensibly(in our view) that such transactions will not be captured and uploaded on the OTP; payment without description,  secrete nature of operations among others.

“We believe that the infractions can no longer be ignored or excused on the pedestal that everyone is doing it. ICPC is already investigating  and prosecuting a number of  egregious cases  and we will escalate that position. We have got to the point that we will prosecute without discrimination public officers found with any, including the simplest infractions so that  we entrench zero tolerance  for budget  execution  inefficiency which breeds corruption”, the ICPC boss warned.

According to him, the infractions established  in the course of  our several  SSRs constitute the risks and building blocks  for the inefficient  public expenditure and pervasive corruption  that bedevil public finance.

“The continuity of these infractions challenges our  professed political will  to deal with impunity characterized by disobedience of laws and regulations. This is an existential threat to  the nation  and it has already negatively impacted  stability and development  because funds appropriated for major infrastructures and development projects are  simply diverted or mismanaged the same way thus diminishing  the hope of the people and the plans and programmes of government.

“The impunity cannot continue ad infinitum. Nigeria cannot and will not survive it. We are at a turning point and with the global pandemic, whose end is uncertain, reduced public revenue but escalating citizens expectation, youth restiveness, insecurity and lack of  or decaying physical infrastructure”, he said, adding that in all of this government is striving to put money in the right place for the benefit of the people and that the  least  that can be done is to ensure that  the expectations of government and the people are met and ‘we get value for money’.

Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye  said DFAs and DIAs are by training professionals of the highest quality of knowledge in the sector and by their level of authority capable of enforcing  compliance with these rules down the line.

“The country should no longer slide into poverty if only you will be firm  and refuse to tolerate  culpability  from anyone  starting with yourselves. If this system is to be sanitized and scarce government resources is to do more with less you have to play your leadership role”, he said.

“We ask you all to work with us and commit to policing the system to enable government meet its obligations to the public. It begins with you not with anyone else. We are ready to support anyone  with challenge and to uphold  the transparency and  integrity of our systems and processes. We owe it to ourselves and we owe it to our children and the future of our nation.

“The ICPC will continue to collaborate  with all critical stakeholders,  towards entrenching  integrity in the polity  and in public finance management and governance particularly”, he said.