The Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) has said that only Nigerians can win the anti-corruption war, if they refused to partake in corrupt tendencies.
The Executive Director, PAACA, Comrade Ezenwa Nwagwu, said this Wednesday in Abuja as part of activities marking the 2021 World Anti-corruption Day with the theme “Your Right, Your Role, Say No to Corruption”.
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He said that the fight to achieve a corrupt free Nigeria is indeed a herculean task that demands all hands must be on deck to attain success.
“Despite the many challenges and disappointments arising from failed institutions, policies and promises, we must continue to push forward against corruption as a people, and make the right demands for improved governance, to sustain the sovereignty of our Nation.
“As the world marks the 2021 Anti-corruption Day, we are reminded of our roles, as individuals and institutions, to bring an end to corruption. Under the theme “Your Right, Your Role, Say No to Corruption”, we are called as individuals to perceive the fight against corruption as our individual responsibility to fight for what is ours by right, and for common good.
“We are reminded of our rights to quality education and healthcare, infrastructure, security, and a conducive environment for economic activities. We are reminded of the role we must play to enjoy these rights.
“As individuals our ability to reject corruption stems from our desire to participate in governance, to oversee the conduct and activities of government especially in budget preparation and implementation, as well as, reporting government excesses and actively holding them to account,” Nwagwu said.
He said that the fight against corruption is a fight for accountable government, as government institutions need to be accountable to the people in carrying out their tasks as well as implementing budgets.
He, however, said that the role of the people in provoking accountability cannot be over emphasized and everyone must yearn for the citizens’ voices to be heard beyond popular lamentation and deliberately engage government institutions on accountability and good governance.
“PAACA is calling on community members, women, traditional and religious leaders, labour and trade union members to demand for their rights, play their role and say no to corruption by taking a stand against the spate of abandoned projects in their communities and states.
“These projects, most of which full payments have been made, are often abandoned due to weak oversight by community members, while funds get diverted, leaving communities to suffer the consequences arising from the lack of such projects.
“It has become important to create sustainable platforms that will expand and promote grassroot engagement and oversight, specifically, of budget implementation and capital project execution in various communities. This will surely curb the proliferation of abandoned projects in states, reduce waste and diversion of public funds,” he said.
He also unveils an accountability campaign called #NaMyCommunitybeThis, saying this campaign provides the platform for community members to actively track abandoned projects in their locality by reporting such projects, advocating for their completion and monitoring the process using the hashtag #SnapAndSend.
He said that using this hashtag members of the public will expose abandoned capital projects reflecting in state and national budgets and instigate public pressure to push for their completion. He said that all received videos and pictures will be documented in the campaign website www.abandonprojects.ng to motivate community members to engage governance and demand for improved infrastructural development in their states.
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