STATE OF THE NATION: Corruption Number-one cause of Nigeria’s decay — Sanwo-Olu, Justice Terhemba, Akiolu
GOVERNOR Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Justice John Terhemba; and Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-corruption, Prince Kayode Akiolu; Thursday, expressed sadness over prolonged corruption in the country saying it is the number-one cause of Nigeria’s decay.
They also decried that the anti-corruption units in the various federal ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, have failed in the responsibilities with which they are charged, saying the dysfunctions witnessed in the country are symptoms of graft.
They spoke at a two-day National Anti-corruption Colloquium, organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-corruption in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, Governor Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat said: “As we all know the issue of corruption has been a long-standing discourse. There are certain fundamentals that we must all agree on, and the first one is that there is a need for value reorientation.
“The second is that we must all agree on what is wrong and what is good. There should be a concerted effort against the menace of corruption. As a people, we must find means to deal with this issue. Corruption is an English word and that means it exists in other English-speaking countries.”
In his remarks, Justice Terhemba, who was represented by Justice Olayinka Faji, said: “There is every need to work assiduously towards strengthening compliance and accountability, especially in the public sector. Foremost is a determined reorientation of the citizenry, with special emphasis on inculcating patriotism because much of the maladies that exist stem from a lack of patriotism.
“There is a need to enact clear and comprehensive legislations that outline acceptable public sector conduct and strengthen anti-corruption measures. We need to equip law enforcement agencies with the resources and expertise to investigate complex corruption cases
“There is a need to provide continuous training for Judges and court staff in handling corruption cases, promoting consistency, and building specialised expertise.
“I wish to state that building a robust compliance and accountability framework is a shared responsibility. Through collaboration between the law enforcement agencies, the legislature, the judiciary and the public, we can create a public sector that is transparent, accountable and truly serves the needs of the people.”
Earlier in his opening remarks, Chairman of the Committee, Prince Kayode Akiolu, argued that corruption is a huge burden hindering national development, stressing that history has shown that no country can develop without eliminating graft.
Akiolu said Nigeria has failed to reach its potential due to dishonest practices, saying the various agencies, including the Economic Financial Crimes, EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, created to fight corruption should be rejigged and reactivated for optimal performance.
He said: “There can be no doubt that corruption is a huge burden on the neck of any nation. History shows that it is only nations that successfully shake off this massive load that can march to a dawn of real growth and development. That is what we need to do to transition from being merely potentially great to a higher level of genuine greatness.
“Make no mistake about it: Nigeria is a great country and is widely acknowledged as such the world over. It is the biggest economy in Africa and the largest market on the continent. It is also the most populous black nation on earth and is blessed with world-class human capital and a superabundance of natural resources. The country has also provided exemplary leadership in the comity of nations. However, the painful truth remains that, considering our enormous potential, we have underachieved and underperformed.
“There is no argument on what must be done for Nigeria to thrive. We need to bring corruption to its knees so that our country can rise to its full height to deliver on its incredible promise. We need to remove the shackles of corruption from the feet of our beloved country so that it will no longer have to limp slowly and painfully towards the Nigeria of our dreams.”
