‘Anti-graft campaign needs public, private synergy to succeed’
By Henry Omunu
Stakeholders in the anti-corruption campaign of the Federal Government have called for a holistic approach to curbing graft in the country, declaring that synergy between the public and private sector is required for the anti-corruption crusade to yield desired dividends.
They made the submission at a virtual dialogue titled: “Collective responsibility and action in the fight against corruption” organized by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) held in Abuja, Daily Times gathered.
The dialogue was organized to explore the potentials in collective action and share ideas on how the threearms of government, the three tiers of government and the citizens can own the anti-corruption crusade.
Lead discussant and member of PACAC, Prof. Femi Odekunle, speaking at the virtual dialogue, said that corruption has been so ingrained and pervasive in Nigeria that it requires the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, including the government, the private sector and the citizenry for the anti-corruption war to be won.
He admitted that even though the executive arm of government has the larger responsibility in the anticorruption campaign, the lack of collective perception on how best to tackle corruption continues to hinder anti-graft efforts.
Prof. Odekunle asserted further that for the anti-corruption fight to succeed, the nation needs a leadership with integrity, committed to combating the evil of corruption, and that such a leadership must cascade downwards to every segment of the society.
“The leadership must be ideological and revolutionary by doing the needful in terms of anti-corruption laws, eventual prosecution and punishment of corrupt persons to serve as deterrent to others.
“There must be consistency in legal coercion as the process in corruption cases have been abused and the judiciary should pursue justice in all corruption cases,” the don stated.
Another participant at the dialogue, Mr. Soji Apampa in his presentation, faulted the assumption that the task of ending corruption in the polity is solely that of the government even though it has the regulatory powers, insisting that collective effort is required if the anticorruption fight is to succeed.
According to him, the government must initiate punishment for private sector violation of anti-graft laws instead of focusing only on the public sector.
READ ALSO: Anti-corruption fight: FG charged to make EFCC independent
He advised Nigerians to focus and leverage on holding the government accountable for its actions and inactions regarding the anti-corruption crusade, adding that “civil society, government and the public sector need to come together in a social responsibility pact to achieve positive results in the anti-corruption crusade.
“There must be a level-playing field for all private sector players in battling corruption; there must be no sacred cows and the rules must apply equally to everyone.”
