ACC empowers Makump Bana community
The Northern Region Office of the Anti-Corruption Commission has empowered the people of Makump Bana Village in the Kafalla Section, Bombali Shebora Chiefdom co-opting them to participate in the fight against corruption in Sierra Leone.
This was during one of its periodic community outreach meetings on Tuesday 17th June 2014 at Makump Bana Court Barry. In his welcome address, Acting Section Chief Samuel Thorley appreciated ACC’s sensitization drive and emphasized the need for collective partnership in the fight against corruption in the country. ”Corruption is a menace that continues to hamper the progress of remote communities; the only way to arrest this evil act is for Sierra Leoneans to join hands with ACC to combat this scourge” he said.
ACC’s Public Education Officer, Augustine Foday Ngobie who chaired the meeting said the engagement was to take the fight against corruption to vulnerable communities in order to sensitize them on the adverse effects of corruption and enlist their support in the fight.
Addressing the people of Makump Bana on their role in the fight, ACC’s Senior Public Education Officer Al-Hassan Sesay said it is imperative on Sierra Leoneans to embrace the crusade against graft. Sesay emphasized that it is the civic responsibility of Sierra Leoneans to ensure that ACC succeeds. “Corruption is evil and should not be accepted as part of the country’s customs and tradition”. The Senior Public Educator informed his audience that the 2008 AC Act covers everybody regardless of social status in the society. He maintained that ACC does not look at the monetary value but the offence committed. Sesay referred to corruption as enemy of progress and a key agent of underdevelopment. The Senior Public Education Officer encouraged his audience to reject, resist and report instances of corruption that they may encounter in their community to the Commission.
In his presentation, Regional Manager North, Ibrahim Ahmad Kargbo commended the people of Makump Bana for the demonstration of commitment to collaborate with ACC in combating graft. Manager Kargbo informed them that the Commission was established by an Act of Parliament to lead the fight against corruption through public education, prevention and prosecution. He stated that ACC’s objective was to ensure the prevalence of a corrupt free terrain and atmosphere in the country.
Manager Kargbo said the public should not judge the Commission’s work by the number of people indicted but must also look at the interventions it has made in preventing and educating the public on corruption related issues. He outlined some of the vices that have plagued the health, education and local court sectors in the local communities such as extra charges in school, mishandling of the girl child education funds, abuse of the free malaria treatment, the free health care programme, improper use of local court fines, bribery at the local court, disrespect for authority and the rule of law. Manager Kargbo encouraged the people to report any incident of corruption to the Commission for the good of their community. ”If the nation is to progress from its current state of impoverishment, Sierra Leoneans must support ACC to stamp out this scourge” he concluded.
ACC Public Education Officer North Abdulai Saccoh explained the various ways the public can make report to the Commission and assured that report made to ACC cannot be divulged to anyone as it’s against the Commission’s core values of confidentiality and professionalism. He assured his audience of protection of whistleblowers but warned them to refrain from making malicious/false report as it amount to an offence. The Public Education Officer further explained the 10% reward to informants and entreated them to change their corrupt Behavior, Opinion, Attitude and Thought (BOAT) for the good of the nation.
Questions and answers formed the high point of the meeting.
ACC Makeni
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