By; ISAAC ODEH, Kaduna
While appreciating the fact that some progress has been made in the fight against corruption in Nigeria, a group, Network for Justice and Good Governance (NgJ) has said that more needs to be done to wrestle corruption and defeat it.
The group expressed this at a press conference in Kaduna on Wednesday February 9, 2022, with the text, read by its Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Professor Sadiq Isah Radda.
“NgJ feels that it is important to address the press today. For us, some milestones have been achieved even though there is a lot of work to be done to tackle corruption. The battle must continue until we wrestle corruption to the ground,” the group said.. NgJ stressed that a successful fight against corruption requires collaboration, co-operation, coordination and even personal commitment to eradicate the malaise.
“This is in line with the adage that ‘…if you want to go fast go alone; but if you want to go far, go together.’ “Therefore, tackling corruption in Nigeria needs the efforts of all the arms of government as well as the three tiers of government. A comprehensive approach in this respect will deliver Nigeria from the malaise of corruption,” the group said.
The group in the text of briefing titled, “Fighting Corruption In Nigeria Requires Everybody 1” noted that while the menace of corruption still exists in Nigeria, certain achievements can today be seen.
“These include.1. Addressing the OPL 245 debacle by the Ministry of Justice and Civil Society Organizations;2. Addressing the P&ID Saga the Ministry of Justice;3. Eradicating the fuel subsidy scam by the Anti-corruption Agencies;4. Effective utilisation of recovered funds and assets for infrastructure and human development;5. Developing a transparent framework for the disposal of recovered assets the Ministry of Justice;6. Establishing an Inter–Agency Task team to make sure that henceforth all agreements must be thoroughly discussed and signed with the national interest in mind;7. Working with international partners to block safe havens and ensure the return of looted funds;8. Ensuring that Constituency projects are no longer diverted through monitoring by the ICPC;9. Today, funds budget for arms procurement are so utilized;10. Although there is a general concern regarding government borrowing, as we can see loans are not looted but used to provide physical infrastructure;11. No more bribe for annual budget consideration and approval let alone padding as the NASS is very forthcoming;12. Between 2015 to date more persons and businesses have been captured in the tax net by FIRS;13. Salaries and pensions are being paid promptly; 14. We now have the Transparency Portal for the citizens to monitor government spending;15. Revenue generating agencies are performing better today;16. While some high profile cases are still being prosecuted, many high profile looters are in jail while others are being monitored for repatriation;17. The Niger Delta Development Commission is undergoing forensic audit and it is being repositioned to serve the people; and18. Nigeria is part of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and is implementing its commitments”.
The group said that their desire is to have a society rested on Justice and Good governance. Sometimes in 2021 we felt the need to form the NgJ for the betterment of our communities.
“Thus far, we have reviewed the fight against corruption in Nigeria especially from 2015 to date,” they added.
NgJ appreciated all the anti-corruption agencies as they are doing a lot to curb corruption.
“Also, the Federal Ministry of Justice and our regulatory bodies are doing their best to sanitize Nigeria. Clearly, our Ministries, Departments and Agencies can deliver services to the citizens if there is a sustained fight against corruption.
“The NgJ like other stakeholders in the fight against corruption believes that their jobs will be made easier if:1. Families upgrade and inculcate the needed core values in children;2. Schools at all levels inculcate the right character that will mould our youths for manpower development; and 3. Religion should guide Nigerians in both theory and practice,” they suggested. The group explained that they are crucial agents of character development and moulding that must rise to the occasion by rescuing the nation through behaviour change.
“The NgJ believes that their sustained, vigorous, objective and long-term intervention will make the job of the law enforcement agents easy and swift. Furthermore, to consolidate on the gains recorded so far in the fight against corruption:1. The Federal Government, Labour Unions, Civil Society Organisations and mainstream civil servants must work together to reform our civil service to make it productive to the nation. This should be replicated at the State and Local Government levels.2. The three tiers of government and the three arms of government must consult, concur and develop a blueprint for cutting the cost of governance in Nigeria.3. Nigerians have to take personal responsibility to be corruption-free. Citizens must learn to respect the law, due process, procedures and guidelines. These noble practices will make the jobs of ACAs and Law Enforcement Agencies easy, thereby stabilizing the country.” NgJ commended the efforts of the ACAs, the Ministry of Justice, security agencies, CSOs, international partners for their efforts in fighting corruption.
“Together, more can be achieved for the benefit of the future generation. In doing this, Nigerians should continue to have a sense of history by reviewing the situation in the past, the situation now and where we a heading in the fight against corruption,” they urged.
[1] Being the Text of the Press Conference Delivered by Prof. Sadiq Isah Radda, the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) Held on 9th February 2022 in Kaduna, Nigeria.
