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…As CMPA decries perception gap in Nigeria
From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Former Executive Secretary, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Professor Sadiq Radda, has said that focusing too much attention on the Presidency by anti-graft agencies, the media and other stakeholders will not help the fight against corruption.
According to Radar, in order to effectively reduce corruption, equal attention should be paid to all three tiers and arms of the government as well as the private sector.
The Sociology Professor spoke at a one-day stakeholders inception meeting on Nigeria anti-corruption performance public reporting project (NAPPR) organised by the Centre for Media, Policy and Accountability (CMPA), Tuesday in Abuja .
He said; “We should realize that in Nigeia, there is such a thing as over personalization. Nearly everything in this country is centered around the President. During the Buhari regime, things that a councilor can address, are taken to the desk of the President. We need to make Nigerians understand that we have three arms of government, then we have three tiers of government. Fighting corruption requires these three arms and tiers of government to function properly. Serious fight against corruption took place during the Buhari regime but when you don’t have the state governors, state chairmen actively taking charging charge like in the federal government, it is half done. Moreover, state governors control over 48 percent of the monthly allocation. So pay equal attention to them.
“We also have the judiciary and the legislature but everybody seems to focus on the president and his litany of staff. So, over personalization is not going to be helpful.
“The other point is over governomentalization. We simply forget what happens in the private sector and ICPC has shown that the quantum of corruption in the h the private sector is much more damaging and even higher than what happens in the public sector. So while we are fighting corruption in the public sector, we should pay equal attention to the private sector.”
Also speaking, CMPA Executive Director Dr. Suleiman Suleiman said that was a disparity between the perception of corruption among citizens and the reality which has negatively impacted the nation on the global scale.
The ED pledged organisation’s resolve to bridge the gap through research, advocacy, training and capacity building, solicited for support from anti-graft agencies, academics, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), media and other stakeholders.
He explained that the project was aimed at providing technical and other support towards addressing issues of performance reporting of anti-corruption work in the country.
Meanwhile, Kole Shettima, the Country Director for the MacArthur Foundation, the programme’s sponsor, stated that because corruption impacts all facets of life, the organisation is focusing on helping anti-corruption initiatives in the country.
He stated that they were funding the CMPA program because of its activities’ propensity to eliminate corruption and the MacArthur foundation’s commitment to enhancing the quality of life for people in society.
