United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has commended Ganduje’s Administration in Kano State, Northwest Nigeria, for strengthening institutions fighting corruption in all ramifications.
He is therefore encouraged to continue supporting the state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission to contain the menace.
Nigeria’s Representative on UNODC, Dr Oliver Stolpe, gave Ganduje the pat on the back at Stakeholders’ Meeting on Gender and Corruption on Second Corruption Survey Report in Nigeria, held in Kano.
Dr Stolpe said he was impressed by the state Anti-Corruption Commission in its operations toward the fight against corruption, which he observed, was largely because of the interest and political will the state Governor had in the activities of the Commission, coupled with the good leadership at the anti-graft body .
He also urged for continued support for the Commission by the state government, which he assured , would aid development and its sustainability. “We should all understand that strengthening institutions is also key in this herculean task ahead of all of us,” he stated.
While the programme came as timely as it should, according to the UNDOC representative, governor’s presence at the programme and the partnership, among other things, are pointer to the commitment and readiness of the state government in the gigantic effort.
The programme was co-hosted by the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, taking the lead from the state angle, and the State Ministry for Women Affairs and Social Development, along other stakeholders, like United Nations Entity for Gender Equity and the Empowerment of Women (UN-WOMEN), National Council for Women Societies in Nigeria (NCWS), UKaid, UNODC among others.
It was an offshoot of the Second Corruption Survey which was held on the 6th December, 2019, to “…engage stakeholders to discuss and better understand the different interpretation of policy implications of the Report and to disseminate findings to the relevant sectors become imperative.”
In a brief remarks, Governor Ganduje said it was a source of joy and proud to the state “…to have very functional Anti-Corruption Agency, second to none in the list of any state government owned similar body, if at all they exist.”
“Our Anti-Corruption Commission is not only active, but it has non-interference from the State. A serving Commissioner was sacked because of the activities of this Commission. Not only that, there was a Permanent Secretary who also lost his position because of the activities of this anti-graft body. So also other officials like Directors, all fell victims of the Commission’s investigations,” he reveals.
After commending the focus and approach of the meeting, that was women-centred/gender sensitive, he urged the United Nations and other development partners to assist the State anti-graft agency in capacity building, the use of ICT and further more, creating conducive atmosphere for more effective and efficient fight against the menace of corruption.
He added, “This approach that is women-centred is apt and timely. Why because, it is perceived that women are more honest than men. And with the increasing dynamic nature of our societies women can play some critical roles in this fight against corruption also.”
Part of the purpose of the Meeting, according to the Meeting’s Concept Note, was to “…familiarize stakeholders with the data, dissemination, popularise and promote better analysis and understanding of the content of the Report and strengthen actions towards the prevention of gender-corruption in Nigeria through advocacy.”
The meeting brought together Commissioners of Women Affairs from all the 36 states and the Federal Capital, Abuja, gender-based groups ,civil society organisations and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), among others.
