Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

The Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau, Prof. Isah Mohammed, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy thrust on probity, accountability and transparency as a way of doing government business is very encouraging.

Mohammed made this known on Wednesday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, during a two-day workshop on ‘Strict Compliance with Assets Declaration and Code of Conduct for Public Officials’, organised by Go-Getters Consulting Limited.

Represented by a representative of South-south Zone in the CCB, Dr Emmanuel Attah, the CCB boss said their mandate had become pragmatic and momentous following the political will of the leadership of President Buhari to make the fight against corruption as one of the cardinal agenda of his administration.

He stated: “The President’s policy thrust on probity, accountability and transparency as a way of doing government business is not only encouraging but gives the necessary impetus and enthusiasm to each and every one of us to position ourselves, as appropriate in this campaign.

“This, we may only achieve as public officers by conforming to the principles of public office which include selflessness in favour of public interest, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership by example.”

Mohammed believed that if top public functionaries of government were well aware and abide by the codes of conduct, the need for the application of punitive measures would be eliminated and thereby reduce the resources expended on the prosecution of cases.

He said the CCB had the onerous mandate to establish and maintain a high standard of morality in the conduct of government business and to ensure that the actions and behaviour of public officers conform to the highest standards of public morality and accountability.

In his opening remarks, the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, urged the CCB to avoid the temptations of being used as an instrument for political witch-hunt of Nigerians.

He said: “As Nigerians, we are all aware of the development not too long ago where someone in the Southsouth, in the person of a former Chief Justice of the Federation was bought down from his lofty heights on account of a supposed non-compliance with the provisions of the Code of Conduct. It was learnt from some quarters that the former CJN was not given fair treatment by the Code of Conduct Tribunal in that matter.

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“So, we must at all times, eschew, avoid and live above board by not giving in to temptations and allow politicians use the instrumentality of offices created for the good of Nigerians to witch-hunt fellow Nigerians.”

Speaking about the training, the deputy governor, represented by the Deputy Chief Staff in his office, Mr. Alex Dumbo, said the training of the participants from the Local Government Service Commission was appropriate and apt.

He noted: “This event, as it were, in my mind is quite appropriate and very apt. Appropriate and apt because an informed mind is a weapon against mistakes. As you all know, the Code of Conduct, as established in our Constitution under the fifth schedule part one expects every public servant to enact certain behavioural conduct which should at all points, holds your personal interest below the interest of the public service.

“Under the Code of Conduct, we are expected to pay the emoluments and salaries only on a single source in the public service. We all know that a couple of times, we find that some persons, either because we are ignorant, earn emoluments from more than one source in the public service. In doing so, we are latently causing crimes to ourselves.”