Bauchi governor sets up committee to probe predecessor, Yuguda

Governor Muhammad Abubakar of Bauchi State has appointed a high-powered committee under the chairmanship of Salihu Lukman to undertake a forensic audit of all contracts, expenditure and appointments made in all the ministries, departments and agencies from May 2007 to May 2015 when former governor Isa Yuguda held office.

The governor stated this at the opening of a two-day anti-corruption workshop for public officers organized by the National Orientation Agency, NOA, in conjunction with Bauchi State Government on Thursday.

According to Mr. Abubakar, the setting up of the panel is based on his resolve to instil accountability and discipline as prerequisites for good governance.

He said corruption had eaten deep into the nation’s socio-economic and political life when his administration came into power, but said his administration would not relent in its fight against corruption in public life until sanity was restored.

The governor said it was against this backdrop that on assumption of office in May 2015, one of the key areas he paid priority attention to was fighting corruption by appointing a committee for the recovery of illegally taken government properties.

He said assets worth millions of naira have so far been recovered.

All these, the governor said, were done “with a view to instilling accountability and discipline which are the sine quo non for good governance”.

He observed that closely related to corruption, in retarding development is the issue of insecurity which his administration is tackling with all the seriousness it deserves.

The governor therefore commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his determination in fighting insurgency in the northeast sub-region, and charged public officers to play the appropriate role in “highlighting the things that unite us as a nation, not those that have divided us”.

“Corrupt practices definitely are hindrances to the tranquillity of any nation,” he said.

Mr. Abubakar also said on his assumption of office in May 2015, he inherited 28 ministries and hundreds of departments and agencies with debt burden running into nearly 100 billion naira.