Corruption has been the root cause of each and every problem ravaging Nigeria today. Government institutions are weak because corruption has eaten up the fabrics forming them. Power is still epileptic because some corrupt people usurped and pocketed monies meant for the sector. Poverty is still endemic because some greedy government offi cials wouldn’t allow funds meant to touch the lives of the masses trickle down to them. Health care delivery and education are all poor because of corruption. And the list goes on and on.
Since assumption into offi ce, the incumbent government has prioritised the fi ght against corruption and took it to a whole new level. Th e government didn’t mince word in declaring stealing of public fund as corruption. With the swift implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and other measures put in place, some level of sanity has returned into the system. High profi le arrests and prosecutions have been achieved, whistle blowing policy was introduced, looted funds worth billions of Naira were recovered, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has become a nightmare to the corrupt.
Th e present fi ght against corruption has been slow and is suff ering some setbacks. Even the government couldn’t hide its frustration as to why the fi ght isn’t producing desired result. Th e magnitude at which corruption has been fi ghting back is unequalled. Conviction of the corrupt seems to be taking forever. Th e corrupt still fi nd loopholes to circumvent the system and steal. Corrupt practices and extortion are still rampant in ministries, departments, and agencies. Security agents still harass Nigerians for bribe. Th e whole situation leaves one to wonder if corruption is synonymous to the name ‘Nigeria’. Ending corruption requires eff ective law enforcement to ensure the corrupt are punished and to break the vicious cycle of impunity. But with our weak legal system greatly aff ecting the fi ght, for now, government should give more emphasis on strengthening its weak institutions over securing convictions. Strengthening the role of auditing agencies, disclosure of budget information by all arms of government, encouraging initiatives such as budgiT that promotes transparency by giving citizen the ability to track the progress of projects in their localities, promoting transparency especially in the awards of contracts and procurement, fully implementing the Open Governance Partnership (OGP) initiative, improving the pay of civil servants so as to help reduce pressures on them to supplement their income in unoffi cial ways, and eliminating the many needless bottle necks in the name of regulations will abet in blocking loopholes promoting corruption. Ultimately, the role of technology shouldn’t be underestimated in the process of strengthening our weak institutions. Massive investment should be made on Information Technology (IT). Th e internet should be used to curtail cases of frequent and direct contact between government offi cials and citizens since such contacts opens way for illicit transactions. Above all, the aforementioned recommendations will not provide desired results unless initiatives such as SERVICOM are revamped for eff ective service delivery. Erring government offi cials should easily be reported and punished for extortion, harassment, and poor attitude to work. After all, most government offi cials in Nigeria act as though discharging services they are paid for is a favour to citizens. Yahya Idris, Kaduna
