By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
The federal government said it will bolster the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions (EFCC) and all other anti-graft agencies in the country to contribute to the African Union (AU) effort at Preventing and Combating Corruption in the African continent.
Speaking yesterday at the 5th Annual General Assembly Meeting of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the government of Nigeria shall continue to provide the necessary material and capacity support to its agencies saddled with the responsibility of dealing with corruption and other related crimes.
At the programme themed; “Role of Regional Economic Communities in the Implementation of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption,” Onyeama said,
“We are confident that this AGA meeting of NACIWA from its deliberations shall come up with recommendations that would assist Heads of State and Government of the sub-region with strategies to deal with the issue of corruption and public waste given the reality brought to the revenue sources of most states in West Africa as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic.
“The Nigerian government believes that the West African sub-region has always being at the forefront of the fight against corruption and as such NACIWA shall be supported to achieve its objectives which includes among other capacity development and the harmonizing of legal, regulatory and administrative arrangements for effective fight against economic crimes and corruption in the sub-region.”
On his part, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E Jean Claude, said corruption remained a major problem in the overall governance process across ECOWAS Member States.
Represented by Prof. Femi Ajibewa, Claude said, “In recent times, corruption crisis has led to a loss of trust and confidence between the citizenry and government, an issue which has partly contributed to democratic reversal that the ECOWAS region is currently facing. A coherent, coordinated and renew commitment to fight corruption and promote integrity is now crucial to restore citizens’ confidence and pave the way for democratic consolidation, inclusive development and sustainable peace in the region.
“In achieving this, ECOWAS Commission facilitated the setting-up of two key platforms namely; Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA) and ECOWAS Civil Society Organizations Platform on Transparency and Accountability in Governance (ECSOPTAG) to act as a medium aimed at promoting and upholding the esteemed values of transparency, accountability and integrity in the management of socio-economic and political affairs of the Member States.
“The important role played by National Anti-Corruption Institutions in supporting the entrenchment of transparency and accountability in governance process has been progressive. These Institutions need to be further reinforced, particularly, in the face of the daunting challenges of governance and increasing capital flight from the region. It has been estimated that the equivalent of one quarter of the total economic output (GDP) of African states, amounting to billions of US Dollars, is lost to corruption every year.”
Speaking earlier, the ICPC Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, said initiatives such as NACIWA and regional institutions like ECOWAS must improve our input and impact first at the national levels and then at the regional level by better coordination, information and experience sharing to fight corruption.
He said, “the theme of the event is significant because it underscores the fact that apart from the distinct obligations of State Parties to the AUCPCC, regional Economic Communities such as ECOWAS are vital in the implementation of the laudable objectives of the Convention.
“It is therefore auspicious to remind ourselves of the context of the adoption of the Convention, and the distinct roles assigned to regional economic bodies such as ECOWAS and NACIWA.
“Article 3 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union enjoins Member States to coordinate and intensify their cooperation, unity, cohesion and efforts to achieve a better life for the peoples of Africa.”
