In a renewed effort to fight corruption and instill transparency in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government, the Federal Government has given a hint about the inauguration of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS). At the International Anti-Corruption Day held on December 9, 2024, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said his ministry had been working hard to put in place the necessary structures for the inauguration. According to him, the NACS is part of government’s ongoing efforts to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen good governance across all sectors at both the national and sub-national levels.
The first phase of the Strategy, which the Federal Government approved on July 5, 2017, ran between 2017 and 2021. The second phase, which is currently running, is from 2022 to 2026. It is reportedly aimed at removing corruption related factors inhibiting public institutions’ accessibility and capacity to deliver quality service to the citizens. It was established in compliance with Nigeria’s national and international obligations on tackling corruption and to fulfill the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), which Nigeria signed in 2003 and ratified in 2004.
The proposed inauguration of the IMC is a good step forward in the implementation of the NACS 2022-2026. The lack of a functioning IMC, which should facilitate the Anti-Corruption Funding Framework (AFF), as provided for in the NACS document, was part of the problems that militated against the first phase of the programme. Another major drawback was the lack of budget for the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Committee of the NACS to enable it to carry out its activities. So far, support has mainly come from the European Union, MacArthur Foundation, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC).
NACS is anchored on five pillars and an Action Plan. The pillars are: Prevention of corruption, public engagement, campaign for ethical re-orientation in the public and private sectors, enforcement and sanctions, and recovery and management of proceeds of corruption.
No doubt, corruption has dealt a devastating blow to Nigeria. It deprives qualified candidates of opportunities in educational institutions, public service and private companies. It denies the sick access to quality health care and robs government of the resources it needs to provide essential services.
As the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Representative in Nigeria, Mr. Cheikh Toure, recently put it, corruption “is a cancer that eats away at the very fabric of our society. It robs our young people of their dreams, their opportunities and their future. It deprives them of quality education, meaningful employment and the chance to engage in public life. It taints our sports, weakens our health care systems and accelerates the destruction of our environment.”
On account of this evil, most of our public institutions are not what they are supposed to be. Most MDAs thrive on corrupt practices which erode the values of our society. In a disturbing audit report, the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF) reported that federal MDAs failed to account for N323.5billion in 2019. Many offices also reportedly violated rules on payments, remittances and tax.
In 2022, Nigerian banks reportedly lost over N8billion in the first nine months of that year to internet fraudsters. The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) also flagged some illicit transactions valued at N150 trillion in the first quarter of 2022. It is estimated that corruption cost Nigeria about $18billion annually. This is why the country continues to score low in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perception Index.
It is pertinent to note that NACS is critical in the efforts to combat corruption in Nigeria. Unfortunately, there is low awareness about its existence in the country. Relevant government ministry or agencies should create awareness about this policy. Efforts should also be made to drive it from the national down to the sub-national level. Ideally, all the states should be made to implement the Strategy. But only six states – Adamawa, Anambra, Kano, Plateau, Lagos and Edo States – implement it one way or the other. This is too poor.
While we commend the Federal Government for the efforts so far made to combat corruption in the country, we advise that it should do everything possible to strengthen the NACS. It should encourage the MDAs to mainstream components of the NACS Action Plan into their work plan and sensitize civil servants on the NACS document. It should make anti-corruption agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to be truly independent. Using them as attack dogs against political opponents should stop. The judiciary should also be strengthened and made to deliver justice on corruption cases. Eradicating corruption from Nigeria is a task for everybody. We must all join hands to put a stop to it.