Civil servants across the nation have been urged by the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu to become active whistleblowers and help put a stop to corruption and looting in their ministries.
This, he said, would help instill more discipline in the use of public resources and ultimately guarantee a better future for them and their children.
In the goodwill message he delivered at the Eagle Square, Abuja, he said most of the corrupt activities that go on in ministries are not without the knowledge of the workers.
He noted that for Nigerian workers to be assured of better life, things must change, adding that part of the change is that the fight against corruption must be accorded more pride of place with workers themselves taking more active roles in the important campaign.
“I have always said that workers are the unsung heroes of our country. The relative comfort that we enjoy as a nation is as a result of the sweat and toil of the Nigerian worker. This occasion, therefore, offers us the opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of workers and also look at their fortunes, which have taken a dip in this season of economic recession.
“In recent times, it is no longer news that workers are owed salaries. Workers in some states of the Federation can’t even remember the last time they collected their salaries at the end of the month. And this in spite of the bailout packages paid to some of the states by the Federal Government. The pathetic state of the Nigerian worker is a paradox in a nation that is abundantly blessed in material resources.
Without any doubt, the Nigerian worker is the greatest victim of the mismanagement of the nation’s wealth,” Magu said.
He noted that part of that mismanagement is driven by corruption. “What should have been used to bring better life to Nigerians including workers is stolen by a few people that found themselves in positions of leadership. The stealing of our common patrimony must not be allowed to continue.