By Musa Tanimu Nasidi.
A pressure group, the Kogi Advocacy for Good Governance (KAGG), has called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to probe some Local Government Administrators in Kogi State over an alleged corrupt practices.
The group, in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Abdullahi Musa Isah and made available to newsmen in Lokoja on Thursday, called on the anti-graft agency to carry out investigations on the Administrators, who they alleged had turned the council into their personal properties.
According the statement, some of these administrators, particularly from the western senatorial district, had since assumption of office relocated to hotels where they used public funds to settle bills amounting to millions of Naira on monthly basis.
The petition read in part:
“We want to draw the attention of your commission to the financial profligacy of some local government administrators in Kogi State, with particular reference to Kogi West Senatorial District.
“The Administrators since they assumed office relocated to hotels where they used our state commonwealth amounting to millions of Naira to settle the hotel bills, while their staff are wallowing in abject poverty due to non payment of salaries.
“The KAGG, as a non partisan organization, on request, is ready to present the names of the Council Administrators in question and the hotels they currently lodge.
“We are also ready to furnish your office with documentary evidence including pictures of the hotels, receipts indicating the millions of Naira siphoned by the Administrators.
“We believe the allegations are within the purview of the offences which the present Administration under the able leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello is out to fight.
“The KAGG noted with dismayed the reckless speeding of some of the Administrators in question, due to their extravagance, many of them now no longer attend to their people as they were quoted as saying that ‘nothing would happen as their godfathers would always protect them as long as they continued to service their interest’.
“We therefore want to the urge the ICPC to as a matter of urgency setup machinery that would investigate the Administrators in question.
“In conclusion, we are ready to furnish your office as stated earlier with the names of the alleged corrupt administrators including their properties which they allegedly acquire with the looted funds.
“We are desirous of seeing accountability, integrity, probity and transparency enforced across all levels of the governments.”
