Senate panel says civil servants are more corrupt than politicians

The Senate Public Accounts Committee says the greatest misuse of public funds are perpetrated by people in the civil service.

The Chairman of the committee, Senator Matthew Urhoghide said the findings of the panel has shown that civil servants are more corrupt than politicians.

Urhoghide who said this in an interview with Punch.

Following the audit carried out on the accounts of federal ministries, departments and agencies, the Senate panel is currently scrutinising the report of the Auditor General of the Federation from 2015 to 2018.

But in his interview with Punch, Urhoghide emphasised that the worst form of corruption takes place in the civil service.

“Let me say this, we are in a clime where accusations are quick to be made, where people are quick to to condemn, particularly against the political class”, he said.

“Everybody believes that any evil that happens in Nigeria is perpetrated by the politicians or the political class but we keep telling them that all the political parties put together, in terms of membership, are not up to 10 per cent of the Nigerian population. So, we do not form the greater majority of our population as a country.

“Findings by our committee have revealed that the public wealth stolen from the system were not stolen by politicians.

“We have uncovered billions of naira stolen from the accounts of the MDAs. How many politicians have that kind of money?

“We have been summoning accounting officers, who are civil servants, to account for the stolen funds. We are not summoning ministers. There is no way a minister could misappropriate public funds without the active connivance of the accounting officers.

“The permanent secretaries, directors general and executive secretaries of the MDAs are the accounting officers.

The Chairman of the committee said the panel has uncovered billions of monies misused by civil servants.

He added that finding of the panel was not aimed at witch-hunting anyone, but Nigerians must “know that the greatest misuse of public funds are perpetrated by people from the civil service.”

“That’s the truth and no one can controvert that. It is possible that today, in the presidency, the man who symbolises the office, the President would be blamed whereas those under him were the ones perpetrating fraud,” he said.

Urhoghide believes President Muhammadu Buhari, who won his election on the mantra of anti-corruption, will approve the implementation of the panel’s report when the National Assembly passes it to him.