The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission said corruption has brought Nigeria to its knees economically and socially and called on the citizenry to be courageous to expose it.
Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner for Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Mrs Ekere Usiere, stated this on Thursday in Yenagoa to mark the Anti-Corruption Day organised by the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.
Usiere, who delivered a paper titled From Fear To Courage: Overcoming Barriers To Whistleblowing In Nigeria, said if Nigerians do not take courage to kill corruption, the nation risks being killed by corruption in the near future.
According to her, if Nigeria must fight corruption, the nation must put on the armour of courage and eschew fears.
She said, “There is no gainsaying that the scourge of corruption has brought Nigeria to its knees, from economic underdevelopment to socio-political decadence. If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will definitely kill Nigeria. That is why we need an effective whistleblower mechanism as a critical tool to fight against corruption.
“To effectively blow the whistle against corruption, we, the citizens, need courage. The absence of fear is simply the definition of courage. Citizens need to overcome cultural, psychological and systemic challenges to blow the whistle against corruption and other ills bedevilling our country, Nigeria.
“This programme is therefore a timely and welcome development. The aim of this paper is to charge participants to obliterate fear from their mindset and embrace courage in order to blow the whistle against corruption. If we must fight corruption in Nigeria and reduce it to the barest minimum, then we must put on the armour of courage to surmount the fear of whistleblowing.
“If you see something, you must say something! If you hear something, you must say something.”
Earlier, the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Felix Ogbe commended the Anti Corruption and Transparency Unit for the excellent job done in putting the event together while reiterating his resolve to staff to protect the institution from all forms of corrupt tendencies through preventive strategies.
His words: “Today, we are marking and celebrating the International Anti-Corruption Day, with a focus on raising the consciousness of our youths to the ills of corruption and how it turns the socio-economic development of any nation.
“This is to send a strong message for extra-vigilance by all of us in combating the menace. In NCDMB, we have taken deliberate steps to curb corruption. We have provided adequate support to our ACTU members by providing a functional office and giving them a free hand to discharge their functions.
“In the area of capacity building and awareness, we have deepened our participation in the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria through capacity building training for staff, including training in corruption prevention techniques, strategies for effective workplace anti-corruption campaign, bribery and corruption risk assessment, etc.; all these underline the board stance against corruption.
“In the area of system check, we have instituted corrupt risk assessment probing major functions of the board including human resources, procurement, monitory, evaluation, planning, research and statistics, all in a bid to mitigate vulnerability to corruption across the board.”
The event also included a debate among selected Federal Government colleges from the six geo-political zones of the country, with Federal Government College, Warri, Delta State emerging as the winner while Federal Government College, Kazaure, Jigawa State came second.
