Why office holders should be banned from awards, titles – Aladekomo

Former Managing Director, Chams PLC, Demola Aladekomo, has urged the National Assembly to enact a law that would ban public office holders from accepting awards or chieftaincy titles.
Aladekomo said this would, to an extent, reduce corruption in the country.

He spoke at the 41st anniversary lecture of Egba Diocese (Anglican Communion) Abeokuta, Ogun State.
His words: “If a member of a religious organisation is given a political appointment or elected into public office, every day we invite him to be the chief launcher to raise funds for projects and we know how much such person earns.
“Are we not indirectly telling the person that we need money from him, no matter how he gets it?

“If the religions are ready to fight corruption, they must ask themselves how they are directly and indirectly fuelling corruption by the unnecessary and unhealthy demands they make on public office holders.

“When somebody is elected into a public office, his community honours him with a chieftaincy title; another community does the same, just as a university wants to give him an honorary degree.
“These honorary titles have financial tags. Invariably, the society is encouraging corruption. We should look forward to a society in which people occupying elective positions are not allowed to take chieftaincy titles until they complete their terms in office.”
“The National Assembly should enact a law that when somebody is holding a public office, the person should be banned from accepting any awards until he completes his term in office successfully.”