Participants at a two-day workshop organised by the Code of  Conduct Bureau (CCB) in collaboration with the Rivers State Government for public officers in the state have called on the body to be more proactive in its activities.

Speaking at the forum held in Port Harcourt midweek, chairman of the Eleme Local Government Area, Hon Orji Ngofa observed that the CCB has a lot of legal hiccups making it difficult to be hard on erring public officials.

Hon. Ngofa said because most of the codes spelt out by the agency are hard to apply, it does not reflect the realities on ground. 

Frowning at some of the codes banning public officials from operating foreign accounts, Dr Godknows Tam-George said the law has to be reviewed to create room for people whose families are abroad to do so.

The Special Adviser to the Rivers State Governor on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) asserted that by totally restricting public officials from owing foreign accounts, the land can create loopholes encouraging money laundering and other activities.

In his submission, Hon. Reginald Okwuowa, leader of Etche Local Government Area Legislative Assembly expressed fears that the ban by CCB restricting public officials from operating business was also not healthy.

The Etche Local Government Legislative Leaders opined that the CCB should strive to encourage enterprise, but that such activities should be done within the ambit of the law.

Another participant Mr F.A. Odunze observed that the parameters set by the federal agency to monitor public officers were discriminatory in nature.  

For instance, he argued that most times, highly placed public officials do not always get penalized for violating the code of conducts, while junior officials are punished.

He, therefore, challenged the body to evolve mechanisms that would eliminate all forms of discriminatory measures meted out to both high and lowly place public officials.

In her response members of the CCB Tribunal challenged the public officials at the local level to give priority to their constituencies.

She noted that a situation where elected public officials divert monies meant for public projects into their pockets not only contravene the codes of the CCB, but is inimical to society.

 She said society expects public officials to conduct themselves in transparent and accountable manner which is why the CCB was established.

Blessing Effiong