As Nigeria celebrates its Diamond Jubilee and reflects on the journey so far as a nation, corruption and other fraudulent acts by people in government and other strategic positions, have been identified as some of the obstacles hindering economic development and independence.
This was the view expressed by Chukwuebuka Obidike, a Youth Ambassador to the Economic Financial Crime Commission {EFCC}, at an economic forum in Lagos, where he argued that corruption in government circles has been impacting negatively on the nation’s economy.
Obidike lamented that corruption has led to a situation where government now resorts frequently on external borrowing which has imposed on Nigeria a huge debt burden, making the country over-dependent on foreign loans to execute projects.
Blaming past leaders for not doing much to curb corrupt practices among those in corridors of power and outside, he opined that now is the right time to right the nation’s wrongs and reinvigorate the faith of the citizens towards the actualisation of the greatness of the nation
On how corruption weakens the economy, the EFCC Youth Ambassador remarked, “Corruption stifles economic growth; reduces economic efficiency and development despite the enormous resources in the country. Corruption creates negative national image and loss of much needed revenue.
“It devalues the quality of human life, robs schools, agricultural sectors, hospital and welfare services of funds. The biggest challenge for the country, therefore, is not just to punish corrupt practices or go into plea bargain, but to reverse the prevailing culture in which corruption is viewed as permissible, especially when the perpetrators get away with the acts and flaunt the proceeds.
“People should be educated on the dangers of excessive materialism and the culture of ‘get rich quick’. There is also the need for more job creation with better remuneration.”
Speaking further, Obidike who is also an entrepreneur, advised government to intensify efforts at re-orientating the society against the corruption cankerworm, by establishing high ethical standards to which all and sundry, especially those occupying public office, must adhere.
“More stringent measures should be put in place to reduce the possibility of diverting public funds into private pockets. For instance, independent auditing and consulting firms can be involved to critically examine the records and projects being executed by government officials and contractors, to ascertain whether they are executed as planned.
“Finally, government should strengthen its political will to eradicate corruption in the system. Present efforts already yielding good results should be strengthened and expanded in scope.”
In an another development, the EFCC Youth Ambassador has enjoined the government to improve access to justice, reform the Nigeria Police and entrench a culture of respect for human rights within the law enforcement agency.
He decried the extra judicial killings by the Nigerian security agents, especially the Police and its Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).
Obidike said, “In a country where bribes guarantee safety, those who cannot afford to pay are at risk of being shot or tortured to death by the Police. The families of the victims often cannot afford to seek justice or redress, because they cannot pay for the service of a lawyer or bear the cost of going to court. In many cases, they cannot even afford to retrieve the bodies of the deceased.
The EFCC Youth Ambassador stressed that disregard for human rights is prevalent within the Police, even as he observed that detainees are often denied their legal rights to see a lawyer.
“Many detainees have to pay for food or medical care, or in some cases, part with money to avoid being tortured. In many cases, detainees wait for weeks or months in Police custody to be charged and brought before a court.
“The rule of law ought to reign supreme over arbitrary and capricious exercise of police power. The fundamental rights of Nigerian citizens including the constitutional rights of criminal suspects, detainees and even criminal convicts are clearly stipulated in our 1999 Constitution. Every citizen is presumed innocent until proved guilty by a court of law of competent jurisdiction.
“Suspicion, no matter how probable or grounded, cannot secure a criminal conviction. A police officer or any law enforcement agents, in a bid to detect crime or apprehend an offender, may stop any citizen for a search or questioning, but on the condition that he first identifies himself as a police officer by stating his names, police station and the grounds for the questioning or the search.”