Avenues Of Governors' Looting Revealed

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday attributed the underdevelopment of the country to corruption and poor fiscal responsibility prevalent among state governments. It also revealed five channels through which state governments divert public funds to private use.

Speaking to participants at a six-week workshop on Anti-corruption, Fiscal Responsibility and Good Governance for state government officials, EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, listed inflation of prices, embezzlement, misappropriation, over-estimation of cost of projects, ghost workers syndrome, award and abandonment of contracts and outright payment of money to godfathers as ways public funds are diverted.

He warned at the workshop organized by the EFCC in collaboration with the House of Representatives’ Committee on States and Local Government Affairs that the anti- graft agency would not spare anyone who violates the law.

According to Lamorde, who was represented by the EFCC Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel Aremu, “investigations by the EFCC show that there is corruption at a very alarming proportion at the state government level in the country. “Where more money is found, the tendency for more corruption is high.

“The combined amount of money which goes to the states every month from the federation account is quite enormous; however, the level of development in the state is not commensurate to the monies received. This is due to the corruption and poor fiscal responsibility,” he said.

The EFCC boss asserted that the 1999 Constitution allocates 52.68 per cent of federally generated revenue to the Federal Government, 26.72 per cent to states and 20.6 per cent to the 774 local governments in the country so as to ensure adequate funding of all levels of government.

He, however, regretted that “poor service delivery, inadequate infrastructure, poor management of public enterprise, bad governance, moral decadence and general underdevelopment were among the negative impacts of corruption .”