Executive Secretary of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Sadiq Radda, has explained why the Federal Government released some seized items to their owners.
Radda, who set the tone for discussions at the National Orientation Agency programme on public education/citizen enlightenment with the theme: “Value re-orientation and the fight against corruption” in Ibadan on Thursday, scored President Muhammadu Buhari high on the recovery of assets from “corrupt individuals”.
He said, “So far we have been able to achieve some successes. A lot of recovery has been made; money, buildings, hotels, planes, and many others, including snakes and lions that eat one ram daily.”
Radda said the government released animals to their owners because of the high cost of maintaining them.
The PACAC chief said, “Those animals are very expensive to maintain for the government. Some of the items collected have been given back to their owners to keep in trust for the government because they bought them. So, they are back with the owners to keep in trust for the government.
“But we have recovered a lot and many ‘ghost’ workers have been weeded out of government payroll.
“In the past commercial banks would collect money from the government and give loans to the government. That is no more. In the past you can open many accounts and the government would not know what you were doing; that is no more with the BVN initiative.”
Director, NOA in Oyo State, Mrs. Dolapo Dosunmu, called for an end to corruption in the country.
Prof. Sabitu Olagoke and Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu, who also delivered papers, told Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of truthfulness, faithfulness and selflessness as preached by the holy books.