Nigeria has been overtly criticized for the huge corruption practices that have devastated the country. Taking many forms, this menace is an endemic that has eaten too deep into the country’s fabrics. From the government and leaders of different parastatals to the general public, corruption seems to have become a unifying factor. Despite President Buhari’s administration building its reputation and campaign strategies on the basis of curbing corruption in the country, there seems to have been a constant increase in the corruption rate that cut across the entire country.
Cases of corruption have devastated the social, political, economic and educational sectors, amongst others. Professor Peter Nwangwu, in describing the corrupt state of the country, stated that it was like a potent cancer that had mercilessly eaten the country. As of 2018, Nigeria was ranked the 36th most corrupt country in the world by Transparency International. All the aftereffects of these corrupt practices have however resulted in a growing call for an overt clampdown in the public service and political ambience.
Dr. Abah stated that clamping down corruption was a gradual process.
During an interactive session that was held on the sideline of the Nigerian Economic Summit and was organized by the Policy Innovation Center, panelists indicated some poignant steps that would help the country in curbing corruption. This interactive session which was themed, “Harnessing Behavioral Insights to Counter Corruption” took place at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, on November 14, 2022. This session witnessed panelists across different sectors, ranging from civil society, oil and gas sector to every other sector.
Speaking to reporters, Dr. Joe Abah, the country director of DAI Nigeria noted that the clamping down corruption was to be a gradual process. He indicated that every form of corruption incentives must be cut out within the political and public service places. He said that the access to corrupt resources was mostly the perks of office, with strict indication posited to ensure that public offices were to the service of the general country and not for accruing personal wealth.
FG urged to improve wages of workers so as to reduce corruption.
Making a case for the public servants’ remuneration, Dr. Abah also implored the Federal Government to ensure the improvement of the living standard of the average citizen. He stated that the government must consider the increase of workers’ wages, so as for them not to resort to indulging in actions that are against the law. He noted that the public service system could be rationalized, getting rid of dead woods, to enhance the increased payment of people who offer quality services to the country.
The country director of MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Kola Shettima also stated that the ravaging corruption could be curbed on different fronts. He noted that the fight against corruption was not designed by a single model but rather, the application of numerous approaches to fight this menace. Dr. Kola Shettima indicated that the MacArthur Foundation was helping to combat this menace by contributing with investigative journalism, civil society advocacy and works around the criminal justice system.
Different approaches to tackling corruption in the country.
However, Dr. Shettima further indicated that the model or paradigms that must be considered was that which would involve different approaches to efficiently tackling the menace of corruption in the country. He noted that the one-way approach had been immensely ineffective in tackling the corrupt problems that had ravaged the country. Thus, with a collaborative effort from the government and all individuals, there are huge chances that the menace of corruption can be gradually curbed.
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