The chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, said the Ministry of Labour and Employment and University College Hospital, Ibadan, were guilty of illegal job recruitments at various government establishments.
This is even as the ICPC also indicted members of staff of some unnamed ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) in the illegal recruitment, saying such development has compromised some elements in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
Speaking at the 3rd national summit on diminishing corruption in the public service and presentation of public service integrity award on Tuesday, Prof. Owasanoye said, “demands by some political appointee board members of MDAs without regard for extant circulars, is aiding the illegal recruitments, adding that it is a major push factor on high cost of governance and rising personnel budget.
“A major push factor on high cost of governance and rising personnel budget is illegal recruitment, illegal and unilateral increase in wages and remuneration by some MDAs, indiscriminate local and international travels, unreasonable demands by some political appointee board members of MDAs without regard for extant circulars on cost management; procurement fraud, budget padding.
“ICPC investigation of some cases of illegal recruitment forwarded to us by Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has so far implicated Ministry of Labour and the University College Hospital Ibadan and a number of corrupt staff of other MDAs at a lower level. This abuse of power is consummated with complicity of compromised elements in IPPIS. These cases are currently under investigation.”
He further, revealed that at another level, a syndicate of corrupt individuals within the service corruptly employ unsuspecting Nigerians, issue them fake letters of employment, fraudulently enroll them on IPPIS and post them to equally unsuspecting MDAs to commence work.
Also speaking at the function, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Mohammed, said the judiciary would not rest until corruption is stamped out of the country.
According to him, over 756 corrupt cases were handled in the country between 2020/2021.
He said from January to November this year, 1,144 suspects were convicted of various corruption offences and financial crimes including hundreds of millions of cash forfeitures, along side eight aircraft, seven fuel stations among others.
He also said that for any nation to prosper, the judiciary must remain independent and insulated from interference.
He also urged judges in the country to desist from giving incessant ex parte orders in order not to project the judiciary in a bad light.