Timothy Olanrewaju Maiduguri
A regional anti-graft group has canvassed for community participation in the fight against corruption in both public and private sectors in the country.
Executive Director, Peering Advocacy and Advancement centre in Africa (PAACA), Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu in a remark at Town Hall meeting with religious, traditional and community leaders yesterday in Maiduguri, Borno State capital urged Nigerian to move from mere complaining about corrupt practices in the government circle and act in their various communities.
“People look at corruption always from the perspective of money stolen from government offices. But every corrupt act is perpetrated by people who live in our communities, who attend mosques or churches in our communities,” Nwagwu said.
He urged religious leaders and traditional rulers to begin to ask questions from their followers on execution of projects in their communities.
“Pastors and Imams should ask where the politicians get huge monies he or she brings to them all the time. We should ask who is executing which project and follow up its execution. Nothing will change if we keep quite over projects that are abandoned even when the contractors have received money,” he added.
He said the Maiduguri Town Hall meeting tagged Strengthening the Moral Institutions meeting was the fifth of such engagement in the country coming after that of Kano, Enugu, Lagos, and Akwa-Ibom states. He said the meeting was designed to steer up peoples’ interest in fighting corruption from the local or community level. “At least every community in Nigeria has a church or mosque and traditional leader, ” he added.
Maiduguri Zonal Head of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lawrence Iwodi noted that religious, traditional and community institutions were very vital to the fight against corruption in Nigeria. He urged the leaders to reconsider standards for giving titles to people in their communities and religious centers.
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Borno State Chairman, Bishop Mohammed Naga spoke about Building a morally conscious society to resist corruption: The religious perspective. Also, Chief Imam of Teshan Bama Central Mosque, Mallam Manu Mashiya talked about strengthening society’s resilience against corruption: The role of cultural and traditional institutions.