Group Sets 2020 Agenda for FG, States
Reduction in cost of living, improving compliance to regulations and entrenching transparency in the management of public affairs, are part of major issues Nigerians expect government at all levels to address in 2020.
At the Fifth Regulatory Conversation organised by the Convention on Businesses Integrity (CBi) with the theme: “National Integrity Barometer: A Roadmap for 2020,” participants from both public and private sector, said those issues were critical to the development and stability of the country.
The programme was in partial fulfilment of the CBi’s initiatives under the Business Action Against Corruption (BAAC) Project.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of CBi, Mr Soji Apampa, stated that the aim of the event was to discuss the National Integrity Barometer, projecting into the year 2020.
He added that time had come for Nigeria, a nation stereotyped as global leader in corruption, to create a new narrative for itself by being a global leader in building Integrity.
In her goodwill message, the President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mrs Toki Mabogunje, who alluded to lack of integrity at the grassroot level, stressed the need to build high level integrity.
According to her, “when you build integrity you improve the quality of citizens you have in a country, and all transactions, relationships, and participation in that community becomes much more improved.” Mabogunje, further asserted that lack of integrity affects profitability, trust in the market, financial institutions, relationships and partnership situations. However, during group discussions at the event, the participants identified cost of living as very high, which encourages individual’s involvement in corrupt practises to meet up with the pressure.
They also stressed the need for compliance to regulations and harped the need for automation in service delivery, urging government to deploy technology in Land purchase to ease access.
The participants also spoke on the need for improved welfare and salary increase for the Police Force, in addition to periodic trainings eveb as they identified the need for speed in service delivery and efficiency in the Nigerian Immigration Service in relation to Passport processing.
Bello, while appreciating the visit, promised to look into the matter and bring the dispute to a quick end.
According to him, “Based on your presentation and the letter you presented that I have glanced, I understand what the issues are. And as an organisation, we will try our best to support you to see how this matter is brought to a conclusion. I will suggest that if you have a liaison officer here in Abuja, we will direct him to link up with the Chief of Staff who will coordinate the matter before the President if you have anybody here in Abuja. It does not matter, you can directly link up the Chief of Staff and the matter will be rested.
“And having said that, l have personally followed the activities of your Council. And I think the reason for establishing your Council is very important particularly at the stage we are now as a developing country. He noted that as a minister, he has had course to see a lot of conflict in respect to corporate governance. Especially in corporative associations of government workers in various ministries. This he said, was something that the council may want to beam their searchlight on because, “you find out that the corporative movements especially for public sector workers is meant to serve as mean of cushion in for their day to day activities and welfare and some of them, have a potential huge amount of resources and from what I have been reading, due to lack of corporate governance and proper financial documentation and reporting, a lot of members lose thousands of their money and a few people go scotch free.”