Tajudeen also noted that corruption has been a significant hindrance to the progress of the country
By Kehinde Okeowo
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, has said ending corruption in Nigeria is a herculean task because it is now the norm.
Tajudeen made this known in Abuja on Tuesday, while speaking at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Policy Dialogue on Corruption, Social Norms and behaviour change in Nigeria.
Speaking at the ICPC Auditorium, the Speaker also said that corruption in Nigeria has been a significant obstacle to the country’s progress.
He, however, noted that, “Despite this recognition, certain corruption-inducing behaviours, norms, attitudes, and expectations persist within our society, thereby, enabling and perpetuating acts of corruption.
“Corruption in Nigeria has been fuelled by various factors, including weak governance structures, lack of transparency and accountability, poverty, and cultural acceptance of corrupt practices.
“While we have laws, policies and institutions to tackle corruption, it is my considered opinion that corruption continues to fester owing to prevailing societal attitudes towards wealth, fame, power and success regardless of how they are obtained.
“The behavioural and social norms approach in tackling corruption is akin to cutting off the root of an evil tree than trimming its branches. After all, prevention is better than cure.
”It follows, therefore, that addressing corruption requires not only legal and institutional reforms but also a transformation of social norms and behaviours.”
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The Speaker went on to define social norms as the unwritten rules and expectations that guide individuals’ behaviour within a society or a particular group.
He also said that in many cases, corrupt practices have been normalized in society.
Tajudeen further said this has made it challenging to eradicate it solely through legal means and for this reason, understanding and changing social norms becomes crucial to combatting corruption effectively.
