Corruption beyond bribery, fund diversion — RMAFC chair - Punch Newspapers

RMAFC Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu, OFR.

The Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Mohammed Shehu, has warned public officers that corruption goes beyond bribery and diversion of public funds, saying abuse of office, conflict of interest, favouritism and manipulation of official processes are also forms of corruption. Shehu spoke on Monday at the opening of a five-day sensitisation and capacity-building workshop organised by the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit of RMAFC for officers of the commission’s North-West zonal and state offices in Kaduna. The workshop, being held at Bafra Hotel, Kaduna, from September 14 to 18, 2026, is organised in partnership with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. Represented by the RMAFC Federal Commissioner for Kwara State and Provost of ACTU, Ismail Muhammed Agaka, the chairman said the commission’s constitutional responsibilities placed it at the centre of Nigeria’s fiscal governance and demanded the highest standards of integrity from its personnel. He said corruption was not limited to the collection of bribes or diversion of public funds, but also included abuse of office, conflict of interest, favouritism, manipulation of official processes and deliberate disregard for established rules. “Corruption does not begin only with the taking of bribes or diversion of public funds. It also manifests in abuse of office, conflict of interest, favouritism, manipulation of official processes and deliberate disregard for established rules. “We must, therefore, develop a culture where integrity is not merely preached but demonstrated in our daily conduct,” Shehu said. The chairman charged the participants to regard the fight against corruption as a collective responsibility, stressing that it should not be left to ACTU or the ICPC alone. “The fight against corruption is not the responsibility of ACTU or ICPC alone. It is a personal and institutional responsibility,” he said. Shehu urged the officers to ensure that every decision taken, public resource handled and official process undertaken passed the tests of legality, accountability, fairness and transparency. According to him, public trust could only be earned when public officers discharged their responsibilities honestly, transparently and in the overriding public interest. He urged the participants to take advantage of the workshop to deepen their knowledge of anti-corruption practices and translate the lessons into improved conduct and service delivery. NIPSS tasks public officers to prioritise country above personal interest Ondo stands firmly against corruption in all forms – Attorney General Nigeria has no business with poverty, says Obasanjo “As officers of the commission, we must be above reproach. Let integrity guide our decisions, accountability define our actions, and service to the nation remain our overriding commitment,” he said. Earlier, the Chairman of ACTU and Director of the Audit Department of RMAFC, Idris Musa, said the workshop was designed to ensure that integrity, transparency and accountability were firmly embedded in the commission’s operations. Musa urged participants to actively engage the resource persons and apply the knowledge gained to their daily duties. “We must reject abuse of office, conflict of interest and every practice that undermines due process. Our conduct must always justify the public trust placed in us,” he said. The participants also expressed optimism that the training would strengthen integrity, transparency and accountability in the discharge of their official responsibilities. A participant, Nabila Abubakar, a staff member of the Kaduna State Directorate on RAMPAC, said the training had equipped her with useful knowledge that would help promote integrity within the organisation. Abubakar said the programme would also improve public visibility and awareness of the organisation’s activities, adding that greater visibility was important in promoting integrity and helping staff identify and tackle abuse of office and other forms of financial corruption. Another participant, Aminu Ibrahim Imam, a manager representing the Audit Department and a chartered accountant, identified accountability, transparency and integrity as key principles that should guide the operations of public institutions. Imam said the principles were particularly important to RMAFC because of its responsibilities in revenue mobilisation, collection and the promotion of fiscal efficiency. He said their effective application would promote proper management of public funds and ensure value for money. “Integrity, transparency and accountability have a long role to play in ensuring that staff of the commission carry out their responsibilities effectively and in the public interest,” Imam said. The workshop is expected to strengthen the capacity of RMAFC personnel in the North-West on ethical conduct, transparency, accountability and anti-corruption practices. Godwin Isenyo

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