Jang: Why corruption thrives

By TAYE OBATERU
Jos — Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has decried the persistence of corruption in the country despite efforts to curb it, lamenting that the menace is slowing down her growth.

He said this while receiving the Federal Commissioner of the Code of Conduct Bureau for North-Central Zone, Dr. Christy Ekoja, noting that corruption continues to thrive because people feel they can get away with it.

He described as unfortunate a situation where known corrupt people are allowed to contest election on the ground that only the courts can stop them, adding: “we shout to high heavens about corruption, but we do nothing about it. That is why some people believe they can do anything and get away with it; it is a shame.”

Jang, who noted that no serious effort is made to diligently prosecute corrupt officials even after they have left office, re-affirmed his administration’s intolerance for corruption and promised that efforts would be made to see that the state does not fall short of the expectations of the bureau.

He, however, reviewed his stand that the immunity clause for governors should be removed from the constitution, saying he now knew better.

“I was among the initial advocates of removal of immunity clause for some public officers, but after being a governor for four years, I now know better. Removing the immunity clause means governors will spend most of their tenures in courts because there will always be something they did wrong which may not be deliberate,” he said.

Earlier, Dr. Ekoja said her team was in the state to assess the level of compliance with the 14 codes of conduct in the country’s constitution by public officers, warning that the bureau would come down hard on defaulters.

“Let me warn that failure of a public officer to comply with the Code has colossal consequences. The Bureau can prosecute such defaulters and may lead to removal from office,” she said.