OYACA collaborates with CCB to enforece compliance against corruption

The Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency (OYACA), has pledged its readiness to collaborate with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to fight corruption in government Ministries, Directorates and Agencies.

This was made known on Friday in Ibadan during a courtesy visit by the Acting State Director of CCB, Oyo State Branch, Mr. Amao Bolaji to the state Anti-Corruption body.

While welcoming the CCB team, the Chairman of OYACA, Hon. Justice Eni Esan (rtd), said the mandate of the agency was to establish and maintain a high standard of public morality in the conduct of government businesses and accountability.

Esan, who was represented by the Executive Secretary of OYACA, Barrister Ibrahim Tijani Esq., added that over 466 petitions on corruption have been investigated and concluded with huge amounts successfully recovered from corrupt contractors who failed to perform contracts as expected, while individuals defrauded by fraudulent civil servants have received justice.

“It is our pleasure to have you in our Agency today and we appreciate your decision to pay a working visit to Oyo State Anti–Corruption Agency and also to engender interactive session with the Management Staff of the Agency, it’s quite laudable.

“We are aware that the mandate of your organization according to the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Chapter 58 LFN 1990 is to establish and maintain a high standard of public morality in the conduct of Government business and accountability.

“Also, to ensure that public officials adhere to ethical standards and manage public resources responsibly, and that you receive, examine and retain custody of asset declaration and probe any cases of breaches of the code of conduct. The success story of your organisation so far, attests to the fact that it effectively carries out its mandate.

“Meanwhile, our agency, Oyo State Anti–Corruption Agency was inaugurated by His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde on the 22nd of December, 2020 with the mandate to fight corruption and curb corrupt practices governed by the OYACA Law of 2019.

“OYACA has been able to achieve a lot in discharge of its mandate, it has received from Government Departments, Institutions and individuals over 466 petitions on different cases of corruption and corrupt practices in the State, thoroughly investigated and concluded.

“It is worth mentioning that OYACA has successfully recovered huge amounts from corrupt contractors engaged by Government Departments but who failed to perform the contracts as expected, we have also assisted individuals to recover huge amounts of money from some fraudulent Civil servants.

“As part of the mandate of OYACA, we educate and enlighten the public, we also carry out sensitization and advocacy programmes for different groups of people to counteract the influence of corruption in them and to cleanse their mind of the menace.

“Our Agency as a government Anti–graft Organization will be ready to collaborate with your organization (Code of Conduct Bureau) and render any necessary support in the efforts to further strengthen enforcement and compliance of the Code of Conduct by the Public Officers”, he said.

In his remarks, the CCB Acting State Director,  Mr. Amao Bolaji, said the Bureau was ready for collaboration so as to engender corrupt -free society.

Amao opined that CCB is ready to collaborate with the Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency in the area of provision of asset declaration details of officer under investigation with OYACA

He explained that the instrument of work at CCB is asset declaration by a public officer so as to measure what they have before going to office and after leaving the office, which is usually done every  year.

Present at the meeting include Pastor Folasade Ajibade, Director, ICT; Mr. Azeez Tajudeen, Director, Finance and Administration as well as Mr. Wasiu Alimi, Director, Administration and Supply, Mr. Olayanju Eto-Abasi who is the Chief Legal Officer of OYACA, among others.