CACOL urges Nigerian leaders to salvage country from corruption
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to observe the World Anti-Corruption Day, the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has exhorted all Nigerians to rise up and crush this monster which has dealt the country a devastating blow.
CACOL’s position is based on recent findings that despite the efforts of the incumbent federal administration “to extirpate this social malaise from our nation, it is still pervasive among Nigeria’s public institutions.
According to CACOL in a release signed by its Executive Chairman, Debo Adeniran, they are “particularly worried by a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics last August which indicated that bribes worth N400b changed hands in 82 million cases in Nigeria between 2015 and 2016.
“We consider this revelation – which exposed the magnitude of institutional and administrative corruption, that took place in our country during the first year of the present administration as mind boggling.
“We are further worried that despite the present administration’s dogged fight against corruption, the situation within Nigeria’s public institutions, appears not to have changed much between 2016 and now.
“The report was the first comprehensive nationwide household survey on corruption to be conducted in Nigeria. It covered all States of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory.
“The report revealed that almost a third of Nigerian adults who had contacts with public officials between June 2015 and May 2016 had to pay, or were requested to pay bribes.”
According to the report: “… Bribe-payers in Nigeria pay an average of six bribes in one year, or roughly one bribe every two months. On average, almost one bribe is paid by every adult Nigerian per year.”
The report also showed that: “…After the high cost of living and unemployment, Nigerians consider corruption to be the third most serious problem facing their country, well ahead of the state of the country’s infrastructure and health service.”
The report also revealed that public officials in Nigeria show little hesitation in asking for bribes.
According to the report, “The vast majority of bribery episodes in Nigeria are initiated either directly or indirectly by public officials (85.3 per cent) and almost 70 per cent of bribes are paid before a service is rendered.”
The body therefore urged the Federal Government to redouble its tempo in the fight against corruption not just in high places, but also in public institutions which play direct roles in the day-to-day lives of ordinary Nigerians. “This we believe would go a long way in uprooting this ogre from our nation.” By Patrick Okohue
CACOL’s position is based on recent findings that despite the efforts of the incumbent federal administration “to extirpate this social malaise from our nation, it is still pervasive among Nigeria’s public institutions.
According to CACOL in a release signed by its Executive Chairman, Debo Adeniran, they are “particularly worried by a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics last August which indicated that bribes worth N400b changed hands in 82 million cases in Nigeria between 2015 and 2016.
“We consider this revelation – which exposed the magnitude of institutional and administrative corruption, that took place in our country during the first year of the present administration as mind boggling.
“We are further worried that despite the present administration’s dogged fight against corruption, the situation within Nigeria’s public institutions, appears not to have changed much between 2016 and now.
“The report was the first comprehensive nationwide household survey on corruption to be conducted in Nigeria. It covered all States of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory.
“The report revealed that almost a third of Nigerian adults who had contacts with public officials between June 2015 and May 2016 had to pay, or were requested to pay bribes.”
According to the report: “… Bribe-payers in Nigeria pay an average of six bribes in one year, or roughly one bribe every two months. On average, almost one bribe is paid by every adult Nigerian per year.”
The report also showed that: “…After the high cost of living and unemployment, Nigerians consider corruption to be the third most serious problem facing their country, well ahead of the state of the country’s infrastructure and health service.”
The report also revealed that public officials in Nigeria show little hesitation in asking for bribes.
According to the report, “The vast majority of bribery episodes in Nigeria are initiated either directly or indirectly by public officials (85.3 per cent) and almost 70 per cent of bribes are paid before a service is rendered.”
The body therefore urged the Federal Government to redouble its tempo in the fight against corruption not just in high places, but also in public institutions which play direct roles in the day-to-day lives of ordinary Nigerians. “This we believe would go a long way in uprooting this ogre from our nation.” By Patrick Okohue
