The Chairman, Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency (OYACA), Hon. Justice Eni Esan (rtd) has called on the Local Government administrators to work with the agency to stamp out corruption in the State.
Eni Esan said this on Wednesday at Ibadan while delivering her address at a sensitization programme on the roles of stakeholders in the fight against corruption, organized by OYACA for the local government administrators like Heads of Local Government Administration (HLAs), Heads of Local Council Development Areas, Directors and Deputy Directors across the State.
The retired Justice remarked that corruption stemmed from giving favors like promotions and advancements to those who do not deserve them because they paid paid bribes to get the favors.
She said those that merit the promotion and advancements but not given get disinterested in their works and quality of service delivery reduces while the promoted ones fail to perform optimally.
“Corruption causes widespread bitterness in those who cannot pay or refuse to pay for favours, when they see those who do pay being favoured. It enriches a few corrupt people at the expense of the majority.
“Corruption distorts standards when it enables those who are less deserving to reach goals ahead of those of greater merit. It enables those who pay bribes to obtain favours and services to which they are not entitled.”
She added that corruption in the local government system leads to waste in revenue that suppose to accrue to the local government administration for projects that will benefit the majority of the people.
“Corruption wastes taxes or rates that have been earmarked for important community projects – meaning that citizens have to contend with poor quality services or infrastructure, or miss out altogether.
“Corruption hurts everyone. It goes beyond the corrupt individuals. The innocent colleagues who are implicated and or organizations they work for also share part of the blame of this inglorious act.”
The OYACA Chairman called on the local government administrators to show exceptional leadership traits to those working under them, so that they may be encouraged to do same.
They were asked to report any act by the local government workers that runs against the laws guiding the established codes like bribery, failure to deliver full revenue like taxes among others to the OYACA office in their various local government areas in the form of petitions.