Activists, Politicians Celebrate International Anti Corruption Day In Osun

——Proffer Better Ways Of Fighting Corruption In The Country

Activists and politicians yesterday, gathered in Osogbo, Osun State capital, to celebrate International Anti Corruption Day and to proffer better ways of fighting corruption in the country.

The programme was organised by the Climate & Environmental Development Initiatives, CEDI, in conjunction with Committee for Democracy and Right of the People, CDRP.

Speaking on “The Role of Civil Society Groups and the Fight Against Corruption, the Director of Ola-Oni Centre, Comrade Wale Adebisi, noted that corruption has been on in Nigeria since 1960.

According to him, the war against corruption started by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo with the creation of EFCC, ICPC and other agency to fight corruption, saying the efforts have yielded positively.

However, Adebisi asserted that the agencies wouldn’t have succeeded without the support of civil society who he said have helped, in making sure that they do not allow the recklessness of those in government.

“Without civil society, Nigeria would have been turned to banana republic. Corruption would have undermine the integrity of this country.

Adebisi who opined that ‘Change Begins With Me’ was not enough to fight corruption, insisted that with the plea bargaining, there is no way corruption will not maintain its standard. If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria,” he added.

Earlier in the welcome address, the president, Climate & Environmental Development Initiatives, CEDI, and Chairman, Committee for Democracy and Right of the People, CDRP, Comrade Amitolu Shitu, maintained that Nigerians must continue campaign against corruption if the country would move forward.

Speaking on “Corruption and the Electoral Process”, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barrister Kolapo Alimi, stated that the problem of corruption started from where the process of electing leaders begins.

Accorsing to him, “as long as our electoral process is faulty, fight against corruption would only be a rhetorics. If we can try as much as possible to improve on how we elect our leaders, all other process would be alright.

He emphasised that the electoral process has been bastardised that electoral officer is being bribed in Nigeria.

“It is practically impossible for any Nigerian to be corruption-free because of the deteriorated culture and primordial sentiments enumerated above which shape our decision in electing people into power.

“To have a corruption-free electoral process, our people must exercise restraint and shun electing leaders based on ethnic, religious or money bags.

“Equally, our electoral system must be strengthened to dislodged politicians that only believe that the only way they can get to power is by these crooked means. If we are able to sanitize our electoral system and make it immune to all these corruption tendencies, real leaders who have and can drive good policies will come on boards and our society will be better for it.

Speaking on “Corruption in Public Service”, the Head of Service to the state government, Dr. Oyebade Olowogboyega, opined that Nigerian leaders must lead by example if the fight against corruption would succeed.

“There must be a body that would be following cases that are reported to the conclusion. There must be feedback on each cases to the public and the proceed recovered should be declared and used to establish industry.

“There is no better corruption than that demonstrated by the president that fled in Nigeria jet despite the public ban on medical tourism.