By: Nkechinyere Oginyi
Governor David Umahi has advocated for amnesty for accused looters in the country.
The Governor who spoke while declaring open anti corruption, ethics and integrity training for Ebonyi State local government officials by the Anti Corruption Academy of Nigeria, ACAN at the Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre, Abakaliki on Monday, promised that Ebonyi State government would establish ICPC office in the state to ensure that the canker warm called corruption could be fight to a standstill.
He lamented that wrong approach to the fight against corruption had been a major hindrance to development in the country.
Governor Umahi commended president Mohammed Buhari for his relentless efforts in the area of fight against corruption and warned that the Anti graft agencies must purge themselves of all political manipulation for the fight to be effective.
He advocated for amnesty for those who have allegedly looted the treasury of the country to be able to recover the funds, adding that the approach of the anti corruption agencies had sent so many corrupt persons into hiding their loot and in some cases to the loss of the funds to both the federal government and the looters.
“We have so much of the looted funds trapped in foreign banks, some buried at the cemetery while many were buried underground where they were destroyed by termites but if there is a a negotiation like committing the looters into subtly surrendering at least 70 percent of the looted funds and keeping the rest or investing all the funds in the country, by so doing, we would have recovered the money and made use of it.
“Let me state here that Ebonyi State government would open anti corruption office for ICPC in the state to enable them have unhindered access to the day to day financial running of the state government and this training was to enlighten all the local government officials on the way to fight corruption” He said.
Representative of the Acting Chairman of ICPC, Mrs Rose Okoduwa in a remark, said the training was to bring the Anti Corruption crusade closer to the grassroots using local government officials as vehicles of social re engineering.
