The Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Mr. Muhuyi Rimingado, on Saturday said the commission revealed N18 billion funds siphoned off by politicians in connivance with civil servants in the state.

Rimingado disclosed this during a one-day capacity building workshop organized by the commission in collaboration with the Kano State Head of Civil Service and International Idea (ROLAC II Programme) for the Kano State Civil Service Directors on Anti-Corruption.

He said the civil servants were caught in the middle of corrupt practices in all the cases investigated by the commission, hence the need to organize the capacity building workshop for civil servants to sensitize them not to be used by politicians to commit corrupt practices.

Rimingado said 90 percent of corruption was committed through procurement processes by politicians, which were done in connivance with the civil servants.

He said the commission would henceforth punish all officials found involved in any case of corruption in the state.

“We intend to make the officials aware that they are not being used by politicians against the law. They are caught in the middle of corrupt practices. All the corrupt practices the agency is investigating in Kano, civil servants are the ingredients and tools in the hands of the elements operating at high level.

“Again, 90 percent of corruption cases are committed through procurement services. When politicians want to steal, they use procurement as a cover-up.

“So we are here to sensitize them on anti-corruption laws, public procurement and financial management laws. We are here to detail them on how to manage the public finances in Kano State and anti-corruption laws and other relevant laws like will guide them on their mandate

– We also have the municipal staff here because we have a case where the politicians used the accounts of the municipal treasurers to take over public funds. The cashiers volunteered to withdraw the money, take it to the Bureau De Change and make returns.

“We want to warn them and warn them of the consequences of corrupt actions. Whoever is found in any case of corruption will be punished. We are determined to introduce the principle of zero tolerance against corruption by the state government,” Rimingado, the chairman of the anti-graft agency, said.

In his remarks, Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, lamented how the immediate past administration looted the state treasury dry, saying “They spent all eight years looting the state’s money”.

Governor Yusuf, who was represented by his deputy, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, said the government would not tolerate corruption while calling on government officials to shun all forms of corruption and embrace honesty, dedication and selfless services for the development of the state.

Ahmad Sorondinki

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