The Benin zonal office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) has convicted four persons involved in corrupt practices between January 2019 and January 2020 in Edo and Delta State.
Yusuf Olatunji, Edo/Delta State commissioner for ICPC made the disclosure in an interview with BusinessDay in Benin, the Edo State capital.
Olatunji said eight cases were pending at different courts in the states.
He added that three of the convicted persons in the zone were from Delta while one was from Edo.
According to him, between 2019 and now, we have four convictions in Edo and Delta while we have many cases pending. Presently, he said, the agency has eight cases at different stages in courts in Edo and Delta States.
“The Act that established the ICPC gives it three major objectives; preventive measures, enforcement measures and public enlightenment. We do more of preventive than enforcement. So, when you prevent, it is cost effective than when you try to enforce.
He said that the new leadership of the ICPC believes more in preventing and retrieving what people have stolen from the nation than rushing to court.
“We also go to different parastatals, ministries or components of government, look at the system, correct and advice those vulnerable to corruption,” he said.
While noting that a lot needed to be done to address corruption in the society, he assured that the agency would work assiduously to ensure the nation was free from corruption.
He, however, identified shortage of manpower as a major challenge in the fight against corruption.
Olatunji, who also spoke on the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index by the Transparency International (TI) argued that there have been significant improvements in the fight against corruption.
“With what we have done so far, the perception about Nigeria being corrupt is wrong. For us things are getting better.
“Recently, you see former governors and ministers going to jail, and it shows we are improving,” he said.
He commended the Federal Government for giving the anti-corruption agency a free hand to operate, just as he appealed for more funds and training of staff to optimise efficiency.
