Corruption War: Expunge Provisions Of Law Open To Abuse By Officials – PRIMORG Says

The Executive Director of Progressive Impact Organisation For Community Development (PRIMORG), Mr Augustine Agbonsuremi has stressed the for the expunging of the relevant portions of the law that are open to abuse by officials and agencies of government, through an appropriate amendment.

Agbonsuremi also said that there was an urgent need to enact a law to strengthen the whistleblowing policy of the federal government, stressing that the continued absence of a law to protect whistleblowers impedes galvanizing public support against corruption.

This was as he noted that the problem of corruption and the dearth of integrity in Nigerian society are undoubtedly some of the major hindrances to national development since independence.

Agbonsuremi, who stated these on at the unveiling of its publication tiled; ‘The Challenge of Corruption And Integrity Deficit in Nigeria 2021 to 2024’,  noted that the media and civil society space, which has continue to shrink through the actions and inaction of the government, is unsafe for national development thus, must be nipped in the bud.

The PRIMORG chief Executive said that corruption runs through every level of the Nigerian government from considerable contract fraud at the top through petty bribery, money laundering schemes, embezzlement, and ghost workers’ syndrome.

Agbesuremi said that PRIMORG was established as a result of the debilitating effect of fraud and the fast diminishing public integrity quotient, adding that with support from the MacArthur Foundation, PRIMORG, in the last three years (2021 – 2024), ran a project titled “Strengthening Anti-Corruption And Accountability By Amplifying Corruption-Related Investigative Reports On Radio And Through Social Media.”

He said the project was implemented around Nigeria’s North-Central Zone and executed through anti-corruption radio programmes: Public Conscience on Radio (PCR) and Radio Town Hall Meeting (RTHM), where issues of corruption reported by the media houses are raised and the authorities called to action.

He also said that PRIMORG Team took a wide range of issues to the streets of Nigeria to feel the pulse of citizens on governance, corruption, and national development.

Agbesuremi said the project’s impact is evident in the improved participation of citizens in democratic processes, exchange of insights, and reactions from the government and anti-graft agencies.

According to him; “We provided insights and knowledge to rural and underserved communities through our constituency project tracking. This exercise not only provided the team with the opportunity to track and evaluate the implementation of constituency projects but also sensitized beneficiaries on the need to get involved during the needs assessment and implementation of projects in their constituencies, as well as to ensure that the projects are sustained and protected from vandalism.

“In ensuring an all-inclusive approach, over sixty episodes of vox pops were produced, and in so doing, we gathered perspectives of Nigerians on topical development issues, ensuring a diverse range of voices were heard.

“Despite the challenges in the polity, we successfully engaged and sensitized over 10 million Nigerians through our radio and social media engagements, constituency project tracking, and on-the-street engagements,” he said.

Agbonsuremi said that the pervasive nature of corruption in Nigeria requires that the fight against it must be collective and sustained and therefore urged the federal government to lead by strengthening all existing anti-corruption mechanisms, organs, and institutions through proper funding and appropriate legislation.

He called on the anti-corruption agencies, the media, and civil society groups working in the good governance space also need certain levels of support and cooperation from the government to be maximally effective in carrying out their constitutional and legal mandates.

In his words; “These needed supports range from increased transparency in governance through respect for laws and roles to the complete removal and avoidance of undue influence in the works of officials and agencies in the anti-corruption space”.