Citizens urged to condemn and report corrupt activities

Imoro Tahiru, the Zabzugu District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has urged citizens to condemn and report all acts of corruption to the right authorities to help ensure effective public service delivery.

He said corruption prevented citizens from enjoying their fundamental human rights as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution and urged the public to report all forms of corrupt acts and activities to the authorities.

The Police, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) among others were mandated to hold public officials accountable to achieve rapid growth and development.

Mr Tahiru said this at a community durbar held in the Zabzugu District of the Northern Region on Enhancing Public Accountability and Environmental Governance.

It was aimed at empowering the citizens to respond against corruption by demanding accountability from public officials as well as ensuring sustainability in the management of the environment.

The sensitisation formed part of the NCCE’s Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP), with funding support from the European Union.

The ARAP seeks to promote good governance by reducing corruption and improving on accountability and compliance with the rule of law, and good environmental governance practices in the country.

Participants at the durbar included heads of decentralized departments, staff from the District Assembly, political parties, faith based organisations, traditional authorities, women groups, people with disability and youth groups.

Mr Tahiru advised the citizenry to desist from activities such as sand winning and illegal logging and mining to help protect the environment.

Mr Imoro Abubakari, an official of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), called on the citizens to develop community monitoring initiatives to reduce corruption and improve on the quality and quantity of public service.

The Zabzugu District Commander of Police, Deputy Superintendent William Darko, educating the residents on the Whistle Blower Act 720 (2006), indicated that the law encouraged and supported individuals to ‘’blow the whistle’’ on unlawful and illegal conduct or corrupt practices.

He said the Act protected any person or persons who “blows the whistle or exposes the corrupt or other unlawful conduct of other persons.”

He encouraged citizens to report any corrupt activities to the police and assured them of his commitment to handle all alleged cases on corruption without bias.