From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has organised a sensitisation workshop for members of its staff, calling on stakeholders to support reforms being introduced by the state government.
Speaking opening of the two-day workshop on Thursday in Gombe, SUBEB Chairman Mr Babaji Babadidi stated that the workshop, titled, “Art and Practice of System Integrity and Value Governance as a Panacea to Curbing Corruption”, was to further drive home the various reforms being introduced by the state government under Governor Muhammadu Inauwa Yahaya.
On assumption of office on the 22nd of July 2019, SUBEB inherited a system that had no respect for due process, with rampant cases of sharp practices,’ Babadidi stated.
‘There were several cases of staff collecting salaries through alert for 2 to years without knowing the four corners of the classroom. These ghost workers were immediately delisted from our payroll on detection.’
While stating that other shady deals uncovered in the Board include ‘job racketeering, impersonation and financial misappropriation,’ Babadidi, however, expressed hope that the training, which was organised in collaboration with the Anti-corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), would curb the corrupt practices that have been observed.
The Resident Commissioner in charge of Bauchi, Yobe and Gombe ICPC office, Mr Ghali Baba, urged participants at the workshop to pay attention and ensure to practice lessons that would be learned.
‘We should all know that corruption thrives due to injustice, inequality and deprivation as well as the absence of professional ethics and morality. Hence, we should all fight corruption in all its forms,’ Baba said.
Declaring the workshop open, Deputy Governor Dr Massanah Daniel Jatau, standing in for Governor Yahaya, urged stakeholders in the state to fight corruption.
He said that the fight against corruption which started with the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has been yielding results. ‘This include the uncovering various hiding government accounts under Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs),’ he stated.
‘We have not gone far in it, but we have so far uncovered over 500 ghost workers on the government’s payroll, and for that we saved over N23 million in just one month, Dr Jatau stated, while urging residents and state workers to shun corruption to ensure the development of the state for all.