Lamorde cautions public officers against betrayal of public trust

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde, has cautioned public officers across the country against betrayal of trust reposed in them by the larger public.
Lamorde gave the warning on Saturday at a Retreat for Federal Permanent Secretaries in Lagos.
According to him, public officers hold positions in trust for the people and betrayal of such trust “is the worst crime a public officer can commit against the people”.
He added: “Every public officer is charged with a specific duty, which feeds into the broader mandate of the public service.
“It is incumbent on him to ensure that at all times, his conduct is in tandem and not at variance with the people-specific orientation of the public service.”
Lamorde harped on the need for public officers to report suspicious practices to appropriate authorities, stressing: “If you keep quiet, if you do nothing in the face of a crime, you may be seen as an accessory to the crime.”
The retreat, which was chaired by Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, the Head of Service of the Federation, was attended by Federal Permanent Secretaries, the Accountant General of the Federation, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement and heads of anti-corruption agencies among others.
The Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Ekpo Nta, pointed out that no government can succeed, even with the best intentions, if the public service was corruption-ridden.
Nta said: “A corruption-ridden public service sabotages the best intentions of government and places the government of the day in poor light.
“Corruption is a betrayal of the public trust and a disservice to the people.”