Governor Seyi Makinde says the law establishing the Oyo State AntiCorruption Agency (OYACA) is consistent with federal laws that gave birth to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses (ICPC) and other federal agencies established to fight graft.
Declaring open the ‘organisational integrity management training programme for the OYACA board members, management and staff in Ibadan, on Tuesday, Makinde said no provision in the OYACA law will go against the dictates of the federal laws, as the case between the Ondo
State and the attorney-general of the federation was the watershed for the enactment of the state anti-corruption law.
The training was a collaboration between Oyo State Anti-corruption Agency (OYACA) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses (ICPC).
Makinde, who was represented at the event by Oyo State attorney-general and commissioner for justice, Oyelowo Oyewo, noted that OYACA became imperative because many cases were brought in the open when the present administration came on board and personnel of the state were required to make court appearances at Abuja and other parts of the country, which he said was expensive and the fight had to be domesticated because corruption has become endemic in the society.
Read Also: Oyo State Govt seeks to hold 15% equity in Ibadan Inland Dry Port
The governor, therefore, called for the passage of the whistle-blower law by the State House of Assembly, which he said will make investigation and prosecution of cases of corruption speedy and seamless.
“The constitutional competence of the state to fight corruption rests squarely in the provision of the law and there exists no provision in OYACA law that ties the hands of any federal anti-corruption agency.
“OYACA law is consistent with the fundamental objectives of the federal laws, which are instruments created to fight graft and block loopholes where public resources are stolen or mismanaged.
“We appreciate the ICPC for this collaboration to stem the tide of graft in our society and cause a lot of loss to the government and the people of the state. There is also the urgent need to pass the whistle-blower bill into law to aid the speed and smoothness of investigation and prosecution,” he noted.
Chairman of ICPC, Bolaji Owasanoye, said the judgment of the Supreme Court on Ondo State and the attorney-general of the federation affirm the power of ICPC to investigate and prosecute acts of corruption and state governments in Nigeria were not excluded from doing same if the provisions in their anticorruption laws do not negate that of federal laws.
