—As Mbah, Akume, Idris, Wike, Keyamo, 45 others clinch NEAPS awards
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA-PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Sunday night warned public office holders to desist from nepotism, cronyism and political patronage, saying they are the root causes of corruption.
The President, who spoke at the Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service, NEAPS, at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja. said these vices distract public officers from delivering on their mandate and aspirations.
President Tinubu warned against the deepening threat of corruption in public institutions, urged officeholders to embrace integrity and commit to leaving “footprints on the sands of time.”
He said Nigeria cannot afford to tolerate practices that weaken institutions or diminish public trust.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Senator George Akume, Tinubu said:
“Public Service is a public trust where Officers and even employees must be accountable to the people whom they should serve at all times with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency. They are expected to act with patriotism and think out of the box in order to solve the many problems facing the people which they lead.
“At present, issues in corruption continue to affect the civil services in many countries, around the world. Several reasons for these issues still exist because of the deeply rooted problems like nepotism, cronyism, political patronage as well as lack of transparency and accountability. These vices distract them from delivering on their mandate and aspirations.
“The unsystematic enforcement of law and institutional mechanisms for holding civil servants and public officials accountable of their actions will always lead to a negative impression to the citizens. I wish that leaders will arise and stand up to be counted among leaders who have distinguished themselves to do the right thing and leave their footprints on the sands of time.”
He expressed joy that he had the opportunity to recognize 50 persons who have distinguished themselves across many sectors of the government and indeed, the economy.
“This award is a validation of your efforts and a motivation to continue working towards a better Nigeria,” he said, thanking both the honourees and the organisers for their contributions to national development.
Speaking on behalf of the SGF, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, lauded the initiative as a transparent and independent evaluation of public officers’ performance.
“This private-sector-driven initiative has independently assessed public servants and nominated today’s recipients,” Idris said. “It is indeed a scorecard of our public officers, and I am glad Mr. President is here to recognise and challenge you to do more.”
He praised The Best Strategic Media, TBS, for its rigorous selection process and reaffirmed the SGF’s commitment to sustaining the partnership to promote excellence in public service.
Idris urged the awardees to remain steadfast in contributing to national growth and development.
Among those honoured in various categories at the NEAPS awards ceremony included the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, the SGF, Senator Akume; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike; and Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun.
The NEAPS awards are a private-sector initiative organised by The Best Strategic Media in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Other recipients included the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo; SAN, Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, FCA; Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA; and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku.
Also recognised were Governors Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano), Umar Mohammed Bago (Niger), Usman Ahmed Ododo (Kogi), and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) among others.
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