In what is known as a customised meeting, the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) Public Education and Outreach Unit in the Northern Region has entreated staff of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) to invariably uphold integrity in delivering service to the public.
One key aspects of the anti-graft concerns discussed in the meeting was the impact of corruption on performance of public institutions. ACC Senior Public Education Officer, Aiah Sourie, explained that corruption does not only scupper standard procedures and systems in Government-owned bodies but also denies citizens of accessing crucial services, such as quality healthcare, justice, and education. He added that corruption causes huge losses of public funds and worsens budget constraints and expenditure.
As such, the officer underscored that corruption is a national threat and every citizen should earnestly consider taking responsibility to fight against it tooth and nail. Mr. Sourie then encouraged the disaster fighters to adhere to due diligence and maintain national interest above self-gain. He stressed that public officers are required to exhibit accountability and transparency and not enrich themselves at the expense of the public. He furthered that, many people have been deluded to believe that corruption is an accepted way of life. But he declared otherwise: ‘Corruption is unacceptable as it bears dire consequences even for the corrupt.’
Over the years, particularly since Francis Ben Kaifala took the reins of the ACC, stiffer laws have been passed against wrongdoing in the public sector. To illustrate this, the Commission’s Investigations Officer, Theresa Tenneh Vandi, cited Abuse of Office and Abuse of Position as specified in Sections 42 and 43 of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 (as amended in 2019).
She also referred to Misappropriation of Public Funds or Property in Section 36 of the same Act, probably the most common offence committed within the public sector. ‘Corruption is therefore no longer a gainful venture even for the most audacious,’ Miss Vandi firmly warned.
She noted that the Commission depends on intelligence and investigations to establish an alleged incident of corruption, pointing out that the latter is by no means intended to persecute any public official or public institution as some people may assume.
Miss Vandi further clarified that investigations at the ACC are not arbitrary but fall within the ambit of the Act as explicitly expressed in Section 53. She urged the NDMA staff to stick to best practices as regards their job in order to stave off investigations that may lead to indictment.
Responding, the NDMA Regional Coordinator, Lansana Mamadi Kondeh, thanked the team for the anti-graft messages and lauded the Commission for its cordial and effective method of raising awareness on corruption, and promised he would ensure his office and its committees in the northern region meticulously follow acceptable standards, so as not to come into conflict with the anti-corruption laws. He agreed that corruption is a national threat, and suggested that every citizen should render the ACC iron-clad support in order to achieve its vision.
One disquieting point that the meeting raised was that corruption, unlike wild fires and floods which are unexpected, is planned and carried out with even more lasting and devastating impact. ‘Corruption should therefore be stoutly resisted by portraying positive behaviour,’ a senior official of the disaster control agency avowed.
The NDMA is mandated by an Act of Parliament to manage disasters and other emergencies in the country.
