Support Existing Institutions that’ll Sustain Anti-corruption Fight, Campaign Urges Buhari
Members to stage accountability walk Dec 9
In line with his famous campaign promise to stop corruption in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to desist from interfering in corruption cases, but rather provide support to strengthen the existing institutions that will sustain the fight against corruption in the country.
The president was also enjoined to publish the result of the investigation of alleged fraud against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), mandating speedy action by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant institutions, and ensuring justice for the people of Nigeria.
The EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the police were also urged to take up their constitutional role of investigating offences and cases of corruption regardless of the position of the public official involved.
Likewise, the National Assembly members were advised to corroborate the anti-corruption fight by expeditiously legislating bills that promote the fight; as well as by ensuring that their oversight role is deployed transparently in the aid of the fight against corruption.
In the same vein, the executive and legislative arms of government were urged to provide support for the implementation and enforcement of the recent directives of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) based on the resolutions and decisions of the National Judicial Council, while the judiciary should be positioned and supported to deliver justice without fear or favour.
These, among other recommendations, formed part of the text of a statement on the current state of the nation, which was released recently by the Say No Campaign (SNC), a platform of citizens committed to fighting corruption, impunity, poverty, violence and other governance challenges in Nigeria.
The campaign members, in the statement, also disclosed plans to mobilise their partners and Nigerians across the country on December 9, for an accountability walk as ‘A collective Action Against Corruption’ with the aim of re-arming citizens and educating them on the need for collective action to stamp out corruption.
The campaign, in a statement made available to THISDAY, also launched a people’s programme called #Dorocorruption “which will air every Monday on Wazobia FM 99.5 in pidgin English.”
Members of the campaign who jointly signed the statement include the SNC Co-Convener, Ezenwa Nwagwu; the Centre for Transparency and Accountability (CTA); the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC); Protest to Power (P2P); Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), and the Youths Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA).
According to the statement, “Recent happenings in the country have necessitated the need to call the attention of the three arms of government to expedite action to salvage the longstanding commitments of governments since the 1999 return to civil rule, and what is left of the credibility of the current administration’s fight against corruption in the quest to rid Nigeria of the menace.
“While the desire of the current regime to fight corruption is unequivocally stated, the mannerism or body language expressed by the chief executive in the face of corruption against certain public officials close to or within his inner circle, belie and betray this noble intent.