…Berates Judiciary, Police on enforcement
By: Idu Jude
ABUJA-Non governmental organization under the aegis of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA, had admonished the Federal government of Nigeria on the adverse affects of slow pace of the fight against corruption in the country.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Chairman, HEDA Resource Centre, Olanrewaju Suraju, said anti-graft war in Nigeria looks unending because government officials are part of the problem.

According to him, “When Nigerians begin to fight corruption, you do not expect the government to fight the system they are benefiting from”. Suraju called for the urgent need to take ownership of the fight against corruption from government

“It is until you and I, the media and civil societies continue to take these as our primary responsibilities in reporting corrupt practices that we will get results. The people must take ownership of the fight against corruption and not just relying on the  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to be the champions of the fight against corruption,” he stressed.

The HEDA boss however cautioned the judiciary and the police to shun any form of corrupt practices saying, “there are two institutions that cannot be involved in corruption in any responsible state, which are the judiciary and the police. But unfortunately, both agencies are almost the leading institutions in the issue of corruption and it is evidential and not based on assumption.

“The recent reports of the National Bureau of Statistics on the survey of corruption clearly shows that these agencies are leading in corrupt practices in the country. The judicial system and the police force should flee corrupt acts and face a justice system,” he added.

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Suraju explained that corruption is responsible for the collapse of education, health, infrastructure and sponsoring bad roads, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping in the country.

He continued: “Insurgency is actually one of the consequences of corruption and you can tell by going to most states that have been affected by terrorism. There, you will see complete absence of governance. Most of the governors in the states have been under investigation by EFCC or have been fingered in the pilfering of the state resources where they govern.

“Go to the states, most of them have a complete absence of governance and that is where the seed is sown. As far back as1999 till date, you can only count on your fingertips states that have provided basic education, basic health, social support, electricity or even empowerment scheme that is genuinely targeted at the people.

“A child of 5 years without any government support is a potential Boko-Haramist and a potential kidnapper, because they don’t have any fate in the system. The system is not showing any support. Corruption that has been perpetuated between that time and now is responsible for the insurgency and kidnapping that we are witnessing now”, he added.