Corruption is the cause of failure of governance at all levels, says the Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Ekpo Nta.
He made the remark in a paper he presented at the media roundtable conference on combating impunity, with the theme ‘The role of the ICPC and EFCC’, organised by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in collaboration with Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) in Lagos.
The ICPC boss, who was represented by Head of Investigation Unit of ICPC, Kayode Adedayo, said there is disorder in the entire system because the government has failed.
“If we are to get the society right, let us get things right. Let governance be right,” he pleaded.
He decried the attitude of our leaders who fly abroad for minor health disorders like headache, stomach ache and other health problems that our local hospitals can manage.
Nta charged the leaders to lead by example.
“Corruption is costly. It detracts assess to good service. It weakens trust in public institutions,” he added, urging the society to advocate for improved budgetary system and budget control mechanism.
Participants from various civil organisations contributed to the discussion. It was held that, overtime, the local government agencies abused their power. It was further established that some local government officials do not understand their responsibilities.
Participants agree that, most times, the levy collected from hawkers and petty traders do not go to the local government treasury, as local government officials mismanage the funds.
On how to curb impunity at all levels of government, the participants took a common position that Nigerians should ask questions, as there is no concrete information on people who are corrupt.
EFCC and ICPC were also charged to be on the ground to tackle the issue of corruption. They were charged to thoroughly investigate, interrogate and prosecute cases of corruption. Making further comments, the participants said that the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) should verify assets that are declared, adding that if there are weak institutions, there is bound to be impunity.
A participant, Samuel Dada, pointed out that as long as the electoral process remains very expensive and attractive, eradication of corruption in Nigeria will be a mirage.
In his remarks, the executive director of SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni, tasked civil society organisations to check the lapses of government.
He said: “All hands should be on deck to fight corruption and uplift the society. The civil society should be the real opposition to government bad policies.”