Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde has said his administration inherited an almost bankrupt State from his predecessor, Abiola Ajimobi.
He urged Nigerians to join hands with anti-corruption agencies to fight corruption and stamp it out of the country, stressing that without eradicating corruption, no Nigerian citizen could experience dividend of democracy.
Makinde stated this on Monday in Ibadan during a rally organised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Office to commemoration the International Anti-Corruption Day themed, “Zero Tolerance to Corruption”.
The Governor, who pledged his support to EFCC in fighting corruption in Nigeria to a standstill, said that he inherited an almost bankrupt state due to the poor management of the state’s resources by his predecessor, pointing out, “Oyo State was almost bankrupt when we took over”.
According to him, with corruption ravaging the country, it may be difficult for the good old days to come.
“Do you know what corruption can do to you? Do you know what corruption can do to a nation? If you want free health system, free education, good road and infrastructural development, then fight corruption and kill it. Let me tell you, we have been able to achieve something because we are not corrupt.
“If we are corrupt, we cannot do what we are doing right now. If you see anybody engaging in corruption, expose such. My government will fight corruption down to the local level. We will tackle corruption even at the grassroots level”, he added.
He stated further, “Oyo State is happy to join EFCC to fight corruption. We are the first state in Nigeria to domesticate anti-graft law. We will ensure that whatever we do during this administration, we do it right”.
Earlier, the Zonal Head, EFCC, Ibadan, Mr Friday Ebelo, who sought collaboration with the state government to fight corruption, stated that in 2019, the commission in Ibadan secured convictions for 171 out of the 268 prosecuted for financial crimes.
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He said, “Our investigations also led to temporary fixing of 1044 bank accounts, while 56 automobiles and 14 houses were impounded. We equally have several laptops, android phones and many other electronic devices confiscated in compliance with court orders. In the period under review, the zone also recovered on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria huge sums of money in both local and foreign currencies. These include a total of N211, 134,927.26. For the foreign currencies, we had $136,289 and €2000 and £765”.
THE SUN, NIGERIA