The Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has called on state governments to join the Federal Government in the fight against corruption.
Fagbemi stressed that the fight against corruption should not be left to the Federal Government and it’s agencies alone.
The AGF stated this on Tuesday during a one-day Hybrid Sensitization Workshop on Revised Guidelines on Negotiation and Drafting of Contracts and Agreements by Government Parties to Prevent Corruption and Illicit Financial Flows and Ensure Sustainable Development.
The event was organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
He said, “I want to mention that the issue of corruption and the tendency to limit the fight to the Federal Government alone is wrong.
“Contracts are not awarded at the Federal level alone; States are also involved. There should be a way of bringing some of these states on board.”
Speaking on the revised guidelines initiated by the Commission, Fagbemi said the document was needed, as some of the corrupt practices being fought in the country were perpetrated at the state level but the international laws rarely recognise them (the states).
“The document that we are presenting to the public today will not only be useful to the Federal Government, it will also be useful to the State Governments.
“If you look at it, in international law, the states are not known. It is the Federal Government that will stand for the States.
“Some of these atrocities are also perpetrated at the state level and the Federal Government is called to come and account for it.
“My advice is that there should be another way of bringing the states on board to appreciate the need for your efforts,” he said.
