Kogi gov inaugurates commission to probe past administrations
The Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on Friday inaugurated an eight-man commission of inquiry to probe the management of resources that accrued to the state in the last 13 years.
The commission has retired Justice Wada Umar Rano as chairman and Ajimono Ipemida as secretary.
Other members of the commission include Dr Mohammed Aboki, Bar. Ameh Franklin Adejoh, Prof Angela Okatahi, Chief Ajewole J.O., Mrs Fatima Ojochenemi Audu, while Justice Daudu JB is to serve as counsel to the commission.
Governor Bello said the commission was not aimed at witch hunting anyone but to ensure that stolen funds were recovered and used for the development of the state.
“The panel is not just to find out what went wrong and recover what is missing or stolen but to assist us in fashioning institutionalised means of preventing a re-occurrence. We want to inculcate a tradition of preventing theft, not chasing thieves”, he said.
He lamented that Kogi State still ranks low on the global development map after 25 years of its existence due to “corruption and mismanagement of public funds by past leaders”, noting that his government was determined to put the state on the path of development.
Bello said members of the commission were carefully selected based on their track records of integrity and charged them to be thorough and courageous in the discharge of their duties.
He said the commission had three months to complete their assignment and urged people of the state to give the members the needed cooperation.
Responding on behalf of the commission, Dr Mohammed Aboki, thanked the governor for the confidence reposed in them and promised to discharge the duty diligently.