The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption
(PACAC) Itse Sagay, has accused the Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC) of being reckless with funds meant for development.
Mr. Sagay said the commission recently bought 70 cars, including eight
Super Lexus Jeeps at N78 million each and 10 Landcruisers each costing
N63 million.
He said the vehicles were acquired with funds meant for the provision
of water, housing, hospital, schools and infrastructure development in
the Niger Delta region.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Sagay spoke at the
opening of a two-day national dialogue on corruption organised by
PACAC in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President.
“The cars were bought with money from funds meant for infrastructure,
water, housing, hospital, schools, without conscience and without a
thought for the wretched people of the Niger Delta.
“These huge sums were plundered from their allocations and yet the
Managing Director was ironically complaining as reported by the Nation
newspaper of Feb. 6, 2017 that the NDDC lacks funds to execute
projects.
“The managing director also said that NDDC was in debt up to the tune
of N1.2 trillion. What an irony.
“The recklessness with which public officers spend public funds is
insensitive to the point of insanity. The level of insensitivity has
become pathological.’’
Mr. Sagay also took a swipe at the Nigeria Customs Service, saying
nothing had changed since the current administration came on board in
May 2015.
Mr. Sagay cited an instance with the Tin Can Island in Lagos, where he
said customs officials now charge fees to physically examine goods
following the breakdown of the scanner.
Describing it as brazen corruption, he said there were many other
instances which PACAC brought to the attention of the Comptroller
General during a recent visit to him.
Mr. Sagay decried public apathy to issues of corruption in the
country, noting that the people’s attitude to corruption had become
hardened, and that there was no longer any fear of consequence.
“Now, we need to ask ourselves what the problem really is. We are
definitely overwhelmed by the epidemic of kleptomania. But do we also
have a collective psychiatric problem?
“Why should a person loot what he cannot spend in 10 lifetimes,
thereby exposing the rest of the population to misery, hunger, poverty
and wretchedness?” he asked.
Mr. Sagay also reflected on judicial corruption, saying some judges
still grant adjournments running into months in contravention of
provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
He accused lawyers of contributing to the problem by using different
delay tactics thereby causing the nation great embarrassment.
He said he had suggested to PACAC on the need to recruit a group of
young lawyers to monitor court sittings and note issues of
adjournments.
According to him, the reports sent by the monitors will be compiled
and sent to the National Judicial Council for appropriate action.
Mr. Sagay faulted the recent public demonstrations against the present
administration, saying they were sponsored by those who lost elections
and those whose appointments were not renewed.(NAN)
