The Federal Government says it has recovered 40 brand new
SUVs and other vehicles from a former Permanent Secretary who single-handedly
appropriated the vehicles to himself when he left office.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed,
disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos on the effectiveness
of the anti-corruption strategy of the government.
Mr. Mohammed said the government was being guided by a
well-articulated strategy in its fight against corruption contrary to the
misconception in certain circles that the government is fighting corruption
without a strategy.
He said the government was not just fixated on only
prosecution, but in taking preventive measures to make corruption unattractive.
“The strategy has proven so effective and that it has led to,
among others, the recovery of 40 brand new SUVs and other vehicles from one
former Permanent Secretary who single-handedly appropriated the vehicles to
himself when he left office,” he said.
Mr. Mohammed did not disclose the identity of the former
permanent secretary. He did not also give further details about the case.
The minister said the strict enforcement of the Treasury
Single Account (TSA) has largely reduced the diversion of government funds to
secret accounts.
He said the TSA has also reduced the constraints in fishing
out ghost workers in the public service in most states in the country.
According to him, other measures to strengthen the
anti-corruption fight, included the establishment of Presidential Committee on
Asset Recovery, Asset Tracing Committee, Asset Register, and the Whistle Blower
Policy.
The Minister announced plan by the government, through the
Code of Conduct Bureau, to commence trial run of electronic asset declaration
starting in 2017.
He said the new method would facilitate compliance and
enhance search and retrieval of data on the assets of public officers.
In addition, he said, the Presidential Advisory Committee
Against Corruption was working with relevant MDAs, especially the National
Bureau of Statistics, to improve data collection on corruption indicators.
“Once perfected, the data will be shared with government
periodically if possible, as regularly as government receives data on inflation
and unemployment trends.
“The data will indicate trends in corruption and influence
government measures to correct the situation before it gets out of hand as we
have now,” he said.
The minister explained that the Presidential Committee on
Asset Recovery will meet regularly to collate reports from key law enforcement
agencies on government’s anti-corruption effort.
He said the committee would share information, intelligence
and review challenges faced in anti-corruption efforts and give directives on
the way forward.
The minister added that the Asset Register, has made the
looting of government physical assets, notably vehicles, very difficult by
political appointees, senior and middle level officers.
He said the recent approval of Whistle Blower policy was
designed to further enhance government’s effort to recover looted funds.
“People who give credible and useful information to
government that leads to recovery of stolen public assets will be rewarded with
between 2.5 per cent to 5 per cent of the recovered fund.
“Government will keep the identity of the whistle blower
absolutely confidential,” he said.
Mohammed said the government is finalizing the constitution
of an Asset Tracing Team to work with internationally reputably bodies to trace
and recover public assets in private hands.
”In this regard, government will also escalate the use of
non-conviction-based asset recovery methods to boost revenue and diminish
corruption and the perception that crime pays or criminals can keep their
loot,” he said.
The minister said the administration was collaborating with
Nigerians in diaspora and international civil society organizations in the
campaign for the return of Nigeria’s looted assets.
(NAN)
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