Govt alone can’t address corruption, fiscal recklessness– Rep Salam
By Msugh Ityokura
The chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, Bamidele Salam has said that the issues of corruption, fiscal recklessness and weak governance structures cannot be addressed by government alone but with honest participation of all citizens
He spoke at the closing gala of the 2025 National Conference on Public Accounts and Fiscal Governance in Abuja organized by the Senate and House of Representatives Public Account Committees
He urged Nigerians to recommit to the principles of accountability, transparency, and strict adherence to rules and regulations in public service.
The chairman told participants and stakeholders to leave the conference with a renewed sense of duty and a clear understanding that governance reform must begin with individual and institutional integrity.
He described the discussions held over the previous days as timely and crucial in charting a new course for public sector efficiency and fiscal accountability.
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He also hinted at the possibility of institutionalizing the conference as an annual event, saying that the final decision would be made after deliberation by both chambers of the National Assembly
“Many have suggested that this should become an annual event. Once the outcomes of this conference are reviewed, we will take an informed decision on the way forward,” he said.
Also, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Ahmed Wadada, called on Nigerians to rise above divisive sentiments and collectively uphold the principles of transparency, responsibility, and national unity in the ongoing effort to reform public governance.
Wadada stressed that the responsibility of building a less corrupt and more accountable Nigeria rests on all citizens, not just public officials.
“The responsibility of keeping Nigeria either entirely corrupt-free or minimally corrupt lies on all of us. It is a shared duty that must transcend ethnic, religious, or regional affiliations,” he said.
The senator decried the tendency of some citizens to inject sentiments into issues of national importance, especially in public service and policymaking.
He noted that while Nigerians often live peacefully together without considering their differences in social settings, they revert to ethnic and religious biases when it comes to national decision-making and accountability.
“None of us thinks about our neighbor’s religion or ethnicity when we sit down to eat together. But when it comes to the discharge of official duties, sentiments begin to interfere, and that should not be.”
Wadada warned that Nigeria would not be able to fully harness its vast potential unless such primordial and unnecessary sentiments are extinguished.
