Corruption more endemic in civil service than in political class – Senator Akinyelure

The Chairman of Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Ayo Akinyelure said, findings arising from its interaction with government agencies showed that corruption was more endemic in civil service that in political class.

Akinyelure who represents Ondo North Senatorial district on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) noted that corruption in civil service was endemic.

He gave this assertion in Abuja, Wednesday at a two-day workshop on Governance, Accountability, Ethics and Due Process in Public and Private Sector Establishments in Nigeria.

According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari can only win the anti-corruption war by first getting rid of corruption in the civil service.

The lawmaker said, the fact that public servants spend more years in service than politicians explained “the reason corruption persists in the public sector.”

He said: “Civil servants are the masters of (governance) procedures. They spend 35 years in service; while legislators and other politicians seek for votes every four years from the people to renew their mandates.”

He stressed the need for good governance, accountability, ethics and due process across public and private sector establishments in Nigeria.

Akinyelure said: “The contemporary Nigerian society appears to have been plague-ridden with divergent problems varying from fraud, corruption, failed contracts, failed banks, insurgency and high level of insecurity.”