Step Up Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organisation, has unveiled its anti-corruption report aimed at proffering sustainable solutions to the fight against corruption in the country.
The report, Anti-Corruption Education in Nigeria: A Complementary or Alternative to Enforcement, unveiled in Abuja, revealed that traditional enforcement strategies have not been significantly impactful despite securing convictions and arrests of perpetrators.
The Director of Programs for Step Up Nigeria, Samuel Asimi, said a shift towards a more comprehensive approach by combining preventive and punitive measures is required as anti-corruption education compliments the sanction approach.
“Comparatively, while enforcement strategies led to tangible outcomes, they have not fostered societal behavioural change. In the last eight years, available data estimates show that the EFCC has one conviction for every 20 million naira budgeted by the commission, while our integrity approach focused on education has proven cost-effective.”
“This means that while enforcement offers immediate deterrence, it does not root out corruption nor foster behavioural changes compared to anti-corruption education. Implementing both approaches would lead to a more effective strategy that will equip future generations to fight corruption and actively contribute to a more transparent society,” he emphasized.
Asimi disclosed that through its transformative anti-corruption education, the organization has educated over 50,000 students across 300 schools in the country and has catalyzed significant behavioural change.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Azuka Ogugwa, said working with Step Up gives the commission a balanced approach to fighting corruption and getting children to absorb the values from schools through technology in line with the commission’s national values curriculum.
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