Is NBS Right About Kogi Being The Most Corrupt State in Nigeria?

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Kogi state has been plagued with many issues recently, including the latest unsettled dust from the report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report, ranking the state as the most corrupt in the country.

This was disclosed on bureau’s latest report titled: “The 2nd Corruption Survey Report in Nigeria,” released at the State House Conference Center in Abuja, on Friday.

Statistician-General of the National Bureau of Statistics, Dr. Yemi Kale, and the Country Representative of the UNODC in Nigeria, Mr. Oliver Stople explained that it conducted the survey with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime, in collaboration with other partner international agencies.

While Imo was rated the least corrupt state in Nigeria with 17.6%, followed by Jigawa and Plateau States, Kogi led as the most corrupt state (48%), followed by Gombe at 43%.

However, the report has continued to generate serious backlash from various state governments, especially Governor Yahaya Bello led administration in Kogi, who has since described it as a “dubious attempt to blackmail and blacklist the state by those scared by her rising economic profile and opportunities”.
“How can we be the most corrupt state when we have institutionalised strong mechanisms to check fraud in the system?," queried the director-general of media and publicity to the state governor, Kingsley Fanwo.

"It is unfortunate that the Bureau just looked through its office windows to cook the discredited report. In the last 47 months, we have strengthened our internal mechanisms to combat corruption in the system. We undertook a strenuous staff verification exercise to exorcise corruption from our civil service.
“The state government has since digitalised the civil service. We granted autonomy to the tax administrative board, changing the name from the Board of Internal Revenue to the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service. Today, the Service is led by one of the most respected hands in the industry, leading to opening new vistas for higher revenue as a result of managerial innovations and blockage of leakages in the system."

Corroborating Fanwo's stance, Comr. Ali Atabor, a former NUJ Kogi State chapter chairman and Coordinator GYB/CEDO Media Support, blasted NBS for being mischievous, using “dubious attempt to blackmail and blacklist the state".

At a media parley on Tuesday in Lokoja, Atabor said Kogi state under the present administration has institutionalized strong mechanism to check fraud in the system, lamented that the Bureau looked the other way when past administrations in the state ran the state aground, yet didn’t dare to come up with report.

Comr. Atabor listed the Staff Verification Exercise in the civil service, the digitalization of the Civil Service, granting of autonomy to the tax administrative board, changing the name from the Board of Internal Revenue to the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service as deliberate efforts that has placed the state as the most respected amidst other States in terms of financial and managerial innovations leading to blockage of leakages in the system, described the report as a product of write up by people with hangover.

The coordinator mentioned that the state’s deliberate efforts to digitalized its accounting and auditing administration was for more effective, efficient and dynamic fight against corruption, wondered how an organization would come up with such dubious report, when across the country, the story in the media space rates Kogi state as one on a sound footing, having curbed corruption, is not owing staff salaries, with projects scattered across the length and breadth of the state.

The Coordinator maintained that the earlier rating by more reputable organization that the state is among the most transparent States in the federation, having won several awards for transparency and accountability, thus renders the NBS report as baseless, null, void and of no consequences.
 
Atabor also disclosed that it has information at its disposal that the report by NBS was targeted at some persons, with the intention to discredit the state, assured that the biased report would however be substantiated by its intended legal action.

The Coordinator described the Gov. Yahaya Bello’s administration as the best that has ever happened to the state in the fight against corruption, assured that no amount of blackmail and falsehood can halt the state’s march to economic prosperity.

The Coordinator said the NBS report as cash and carry, said it was cooked to discredit the high anti-corruption and solid financial standing of the Kogi state government, explaining that governor Bello has not only strengthened the internal mechanisms to combat corruption, but has also placed transparency, and accountability in the front burner in all government transactions.

However, a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi state, Comrade Austin Okai has berated All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesman, Dr. Tom Ohikere and state government for attempting to skew the interpretation of the recent corruption index released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Okai said NBS report that rated Kogi state as the most corrupt in Nigeria does not warrant propaganda as it only confirmed what the opposition party and people of the state know about the state.

“The self installed spokesman of Yahaya Bello, Tom Ohikere and the Director General on Media to the governor, Kingsley Fanwo have both been speaking from the both sides of their mouths, with the latter threatening litigation and the former contriving social stratification.

“It is laughable that the current failures of the present administration, who has refused to accept defeat and rejection but choose to re-impose itself on the people of Kogi state at gun point, are dancing around naked in the marketplace over a known reality.

“Tom Ohikere, in a desperate bid to secure political appointment having been out of job for eight years, went too far by using the welfare and development of the people of the state to score cheap goals.
“This is a clash of interest drama between Fanwo and Ohikere over political patronage. Ohikere is ready go to any extent to defend the most corrupt government in the history of the state for filthy lucre.

“The NBS report has vindicated us. Yahaya Bello presiding over the most corrupt government in history of Kogi state. He should tender an apology to the people of Kogi state.

“This report called for sober reflection and a day of mourning for our state, it is not a good news at all, it goes along way to portray the good people of Kogi state in bad light. Yahaya Bello’s actions is affecting all of us. Today, our state is being view as the poorest and most corrupt state,” he said.

“Our accounting and auditing administration have been digitalised and made to be more effective, efficient and dynamic. Sitting in their offices at the Central Business District in the FCT to write fiction will not be accepted by the Kogi State Government. We are the most transparent state in the federation and deserves an award for that.

“We are not unaware of some sinister political moves to discredit the state by some individuals for certain reasons. However, it is our responsibility to defend the integrity of our system and our openness to investments. No amount of blackmail and falsehood can halt our march to economic prosperity.”
Okai further appealed to Nigerians not to view the people of Kogi state as corrupt, but the governor and his men who are in charge of the state.

With the war of words between officials of the two leading political parties in the state, we have not heard the last of matter on the NBS report. Do you think NBS was right about Kogi's corruption status?


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