Today, Tuesday, December 17, 2024 was set aside as the World Anti-Corruption Day and it is being celebrated world over.
Kano state is one of the few, if not the only state that makes efforts to complement the Federal Government’s effort in the fight against corruption through the establishment of Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Directorate in April 2005 by the Malam Ibrahim Shekarau-led administration.
The Directorate was upgraded to the status of Commission in 2028 through its enabling laws promulgated by the Kano State House of Assembly and named Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The Act was signed into law by the governor on December 11, 2008 and this gave the commission a dual mandate of fighting against corruption and at the same time playing the role of ombudsman respectively.
Since then the commission has been carrying out its duties under the leadership of various personalities. However, for some obvious reasons, the commission became more vibrant and active under the leadership of the incumbent Chairman, Barrister Muhuyi Mgaji Rimingado.
Barrister Magaji took over the mantle of leadership of the commission sometime in 2015 by the administration of the immediate past Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. He was reappointed in 2020 after the expiration of his five-year tenure.
However, on the 5th July, 2021, Barr Rimingado was suspended following his insistence to investigate alleged misappropriation of huge funds involving the wife of the governor, Professor Hafast Abdullahi Ganduje.
After his removal, Rimingado rushed to the court and sought for legal redress over what he termed as illegal removal. The court ruled in his favor and ordered for his immediate reinstatement as chairman of the commission. Therefore, the present administration in compliance with the court ruling reinstated Rimigado.
The commission, under Rimingado, has achieved a lot in the areas of addressing cases of public complaints and corruption. Hundreds of cases of public complaints and corruption involving high profile personalities have been received and treated by the commission under Rimingado.
Among such cases currently being handled by the commission and which involved prominent personalities include three major cases of corruption and bribery against the immediate past administration.
There was also another case of corruption to the tune of N100bn, the commission was able to trace where N57bn out of the N100bn landed. The case is presently before a court of law.
Also, with the support and cooperation the commission is enjoying from the present administration, it was able to investigate some government’s officials under governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
This includes the investigation of misappropriation of public funds which led to the removal of two high ranking government officials; the managing directors of the Abubakar Rimi Television (ARTV) and Kano Agricultural Supply Company Limited (KASCO) respectively.
Also, considering the economic hardship affecting the lives of the common man, the commission had early this year mapped out operational strategies aimed at alleviating the sufferings of the masses.
The commission noticed with dismay how some dealers of foodstuff in the state were hoarding the items in their warehouses with intent to sell them at higher prices.
First, the commission conducted a secret survey in the three major markets in the state; Dawanau, Singa and Sabon Gari and discovered some warehouses where food items were kept by some businessmen.
After the discovery, the commission sealed all the affected warehouses and subsequently invited the owners and the executives of their various associations for a meeting and intimated them about its discovery.
In the end, the commission was able to compel dealers of foodstuff in the state to bring out the items and sell the same to people at affordable prices, a situation that brought succor to the low incomes earners in the state.
Following this single effort, President Bola Ahmed Tinibu, at a function commended the Kano state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission’s effort and urged other states to emulate the agency in the ongoing anti-corruption crusade.
Similar strategy was applied by the commission on bakers in the state after releasing that the price of bread was getting higher on a daily basis even though the prices of its major ingredients; Sugar and Flour are not being increased.
The chairman of the commission invited the major bakers and executives of their association for a meeting and following his meeting with the stakeholders, the commission was able to stabilize the price of bread in Kano state.
Also, with the support and cooperation the commission is enjoying from the present administration, lots have been achieved within the period of two years of governor Yusuf-led administration.
It was as a result of the support governor Yusuf is giving to the commission that the agency discovered the multi-billion naira Novo-Med scam and misappropriation of billions of naira under the guise of drilling of boreholes across the 44 local government areas of the state.
Even the recent cabinet reshuffle in the state which led to the removal of the Secretary to the State Government and five commissioners as well as scraping of the office of the Chief of Staff to the governor was said to be connected with some discoveries by commission regarding misappropriations of public funds.
Again, it was the commission’s investigation that cleared the air about rumors for the alleged diversion of federal government’s palliative rice by some politicians in the state.
The Chairman of the Commission, Barr Muhuyi Mgaji Rimingado, boldly cleared the air about the commission’s discovery, saying the said rice was owned by an individual not the federal government.
All these efforts and several others achieved by the commission under the present administration of governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, according to the chairman, could not be realistic without the support the commission is enjoying from the governor.
He said: “No matter how committed I and the personnel of the commission are to achieve our objectives, we cannot achieve anything without the governor’s support. Political will always matters in running public offices like the anti-corruption agency and I can confidently testify that governor Yusuf is 100 per cent behind the activities of this commission.
“It is because of his commitment towards fighting corruption that he not only allowed the commission to investigate some government’s officials but also implemented its recommendations.
“To expand our campaign against corruption we have already taken public sensitization campaigns against corruption to public schools by establishing anti-corruption clubs across secondary schools in the state. Our aim is to catch them young by educating the teenagers in the society about the implications of corruption.
“This is in addition to the sensitization campaign engaging various governmental and non-governmental organizations across the state. Courtesy of the commission’s commitment towards fighting against corruption, other states across the country have visited our office for peer learning and experience sharing.
“I can assure the people of Kano that the commission will continue to do its best in the fight against corruption. All we need from the public is to provide the commission with useful information that will help it exercise its mandates in fighting corruption and other related crimes in the state,” he concluded.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
