Next level: CSOs want AGF, NASS anti-corruption committees strategically selected for better results
Anti-corruption
By Angela Atabo
Abuja, April 16, 2019(NAN) Say No Campaign, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to strategically select new Attorney General of the Federation and heads of anti-graft agencies for effective fight against corruption.
Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, Co-convener, Say No Campaign made the call at a Round-Table Discussion on Redefining the Fight Against Corruption in Relation to the Office of the AGF on Tuesday in Abuja.
Nwagwu said the call for credible persons to man relevant ant-corruption offices is imperative so that the president’s effort against corruption would not be sabotaged by those saddled with the responsibility.
He said it has also become crucial for the National Assembly to carefully select members of its committees on anti-corruption in order to further strengthen the fight against corruption in the country.
“As a group, we felt it will be important to have a campaign around the kind of initiatives and people we should have going forward for the anti-corruption fight in Nigeria.
“In reality, we do not think that the current AGF has helped in the anti-corruption fight.
“If one organisation is leading the fight against corruption in my view it does not carry the kind of impetus that it should carry; so the aim of the round table is to deliberate on the way forward for the anti-corruption fight in the country.
“We are fleshing out some kind of initiative that can help us to reengage the anti- corruption fight not because it is a government initiative but as citizens of the country who bear the greatest brunt of corruption,’’he said.
Nwagwu said there is need for collective efforts to ensure that as Buhari’s second tenure comes into effect, CSOs would be able to at least give some mirror to look and see what new things to be brought to bear in fighting corruption.
He said the group want the anti-corruption fight to be strengthened in post 2019.
“So a coalition of good national assembly committees on anti-corruption, AGF coupled with heads of anti-graft agencies will deliver to Nigeria a positive result oriented fight against corruption,” he said.
Mr Dayo Olaide, Deputy Country Director, MacArthur Foundation, said from 1999 to date, Nigeria made some commendable progress in putting in place laws against corruption particularly in public sector administration.
Olaide however, said there were deficit of challenges in anti-corruption fight in spite of existing laws, adding that “the big fish are still escaping accountability.’’
“The biggest challenge has been the absence or lack of capacity to be able to enforce our laws because if Nigeria is able to enforce even 10 per cent of the laws, the nation would be much better than it is,” he said.
He said there is need to pay sufficient attention to the legal infrastructure, the political will, anti-graft agencies including citizens resolve, as no government can single highhandedly fight corruption without citizen’s support and commitment.
Mr Chido Onumah, Coordinator, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) said the need for a credible AGF cannot be overlooked because it is at the heart of the anti-corruption fight.
Onumah said at the end of the day, if there was an AGF passionately interested in the fight against corruption it would go a long way to stern impunity on the country.
Mr Jaiye Gaskiya, co-convener, Say No Campaign, said the group would keep its fingers crossed to see the persons that would be eventually be appointed as AGF.
Gaskiya said though the group would not suggest names of persons to be appointed, it would reject names suggested if they were not those of credible persons.
This, he said is because once the persons manning major anti-corruption offices live up to their duties, corruption would be curbed in the country.(NAN)
ATAB/ABI
Edited by Ali Baba-Inuwa