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The Chairman of ICPC, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, left with National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd)
By Anthony Maliki at the Dialogue
Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd) has said the country’s war against gratification is work in progress with the root cause of the challenge as the eroding of our value system.
The NSA made the remarks Friday in Abuja at a National Policy Dialogue on Corruption and Insecurity in Nigeria organized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Commission and the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN).
He said corruption in the country has permeated all sectors of the society and has taken a toll in governance.
Illustrating how corruption has eaten the fabric of Nigeria, the National Security Adviser pointed out that with the introduction of the Treasurer Single Account (TSA), the federal government was able to identify 17,000 fraudulent accounts and dictated 54, 000 payroll entries through the IPPS.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor said the dialogue was timely and called for all societal involvement to curb corruption.
He commended the ICPC for their laudable feat in trying to checkmate corruption.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan said insecurity has placed an enormous demand on Nigeria’s human and material resources, particularly the emergence of the Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast and banditry in the Northwest.
He said with emergence of Boko Haram, other security challenges have since emerged afterward including cattle rustling and farmer-herder clashes in the middle belt, secessionist agitations in the South East, militancy in the south-south, some of these have now spilled over to other parts of the country.
Dr. Lawan pointed out that as legislators they have continually supported the effort of the government to tackle insecurity in Nigeria saying in the past three years, the National assembly has ensured that appropriation for defence and security is improved upon, year on year.
The Senate President noted that the National Assembly while looking into the possibility of unmasking the perpetrators of insecurity in Nigeria, realised the need for an anticorruption law to stop illicit financial flows suspected to be funding routes for insecurity in Nigeria.
He lauded the marching order to the armed forces by President Muhammadu Buhari to extinguish bandits, kidnappers and other criminal agents against the state and her citizens, by December 2022.
Accordingly, Dr. Lawan said the past few weeks have seen security agencies flushing out terrorists from their hideouts in Kaduna Birnin-Gwari axis, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto. Similar results were recorded in Niger, where, like in Kaduna, the Nigerian Airforce neutralised many terrorists.
He commended the efforts of the ICPC and its Research & Training Academy, Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), for convening this dialogue which will further guide the country’s policy direction towards addressing the security challenges.
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola noted that corruption is a major problem facing the entire world and not only Nigeria.
According to him, more people would engage in corrupt practices if given the opportunity and that nobody who earned the hard way would not invest in insecurity except those who earned in a corrupt way.
The minister quoted the World Bank that countries should invest more in preventing corruption than in fighting it.
The President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh said corruption gives rise to insecurity in Nigeria explaining that though corruption may not be able to be eradicated but it is work in progress.
He said CAN will support any policy that supports the elimination of corrupt practices.
The President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba pointed out that though corruption is perpetrated by a few but has given all a bad name.
According to him, all sectors of Nigeria society is corrupt including the revered religious organizations.
The Emir of Keffi, Dr. Chindo Yamusa III urged the ICPC to find solution to corruption especially the issue of vote-buying during elections.
He called for a role for traditional rulers in the fight against corruption.
The Dialogue went into a discussion season on “The security situation in Nigeria”, “Role of CSOs”, “Role of the media” and “Early warning and early response strategies”.
