In June 2016 or thereabouts, after we were described as fantastically corrupt by the British government, Nigeria attended an anti-corruption Summit in the UK. The Africa’s most populous nation signed on to the Open Government Partnership in that meeting and struggled to put up an action plan to ensure that there is access to information, and that civil society participates in driving the machine of governance. Besides, we came to know thereafter that Nigeria had also signed onto the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) some years ago. So in May 2017, an UNCAC Review Mechanism is billed to commence, and we are not taking chances. If indeed we are ready for governance to be good, accountable and transparent, we must begin to arrange for Civil society organisations to know what a self-assessment checklist (SAC) is, and what the Chapters 2 and 5 of the UNCAC are about.
By Bob MajiriOghene Etemiku
For the past week, I would say that I have been busy. I remember a couple of years ago when I exchanged letters with my former boss.
When he asked how I was faring, I remember telling him that I was as happy as hell, that I have a business, together with a lot more other people whose business is also in contributing something to the development of our fatherland.
What we do in church when we give our offering is pray for those who do not have an offering, hoping that as we give, others would have something to contribute as well.
And so, that’s my prayer now, that we all join hands together to form a strong bond with a chorus of voices which would help propel our nation forward.
And therefore, what have I been busy doing? Well, the usual nine yards – writing, press releases, newsletters, editing, attending meetings, building the capacities of the young guns in our organization and etcetera.
But there was something else. We’ve been planning a series of seminars and workshops around the areas of the Federal government fight against corruption.
Our project, the CASAN – Civil Society Advocacy to Support Anti-Corruption in Nigeria – centres around building the capacity of civil society to understand certain international processes of which Nigeria is signatory.
In June 2016 or thereabouts, after we were described as fantastically corrupt by the British government, Nigeria attended an anti-corruption Summit in the UK.
The Africa’s most populous nation signed on to the Open Government Partnership in that meeting and struggled to put up an action plan to ensure that there is access to information, and that civil society participates in driving the machine of governance.
Besides, we came to know thereafter that Nigeria had also signed onto the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) some years ago.
So in May 2017, an UNCAC Review Mechanism is billed to commence, and we are not taking chances. If indeed we are ready for governance to be good, accountable and transparent, we must begin to arrange for Civil society organisations to know what a self-assessment checklist (SAC) is, and what the Chapters 2 and 5 of the UNCAC are about.
Our Abuja and Lagos workshops were a box office success if you ask me. Both workshops had over 50 CSOs in tow. When they were broken into groups to analyse the UNCAC Chapters 2 & 5 we were surprised with the verve with which these groups were making recommendations.
For example, for the assignment on Chapter 2 of the UNCAC which is basically about seeking the CSOs presence to suggest ways of preventing corruption from taking place, we found out that both the Abuja and Lagos CSOs agreed that the code of conduct Act should be amended with respect to public declaration of assets by public officials.
As at when the workshop was taking place, the looted funds hidden or stashed in Osborne apartment in Ikoyi had not been discovered but the CSOs agreed again that the whistle blowers bill already with the National Assembly is long, long overdue for passage into law.
If the bill is passed into law now, we would find out that those who have helped to dig graves and assist in ferrying hard currencies to sacred grooves would be willing to blow the whistle irrespective of the challenges in the present bill.
It was the same scenario with Chapter 5 of the UNCAC, which deals with Asset Recovery. Until we begin to forge alliances and make commitments that would ensure that every recovered loot or asset is utilized in the vicinity or local government where those monies were recovered, there are still going to be issues regarding what to do with the recovered assets.
But well, I am a development strategist. Part of what I do involves research and content development. If I was in some other clime, I would be a rich man from selling my books and signing autographs and receiving royalties.
Aside from that I try as best as I can to do a little bit of moonlighting to earn extra cash to be able to confront the formidable forces of recession which assail us daily.
But unfortunately for me, I live in this our beloved country where the things that I do which bring money to my contemporaries elsewhere don’t bring money, and the things which I won’t do that bring a nice income here in Nigeria, I may never do.
So, I try to enmesh myself in my work, spirit, soul and body. In the two years that I have worked as a development communicator and strategist, I cannot say that I have done too badly.
My wife, sweet girl, has been my prayer warrior, seeking the shower of God’s blessings fall on my efforts. And yet my lot, like the lot of many of our countrymen and women wouldn’t be this precarious if our people aren’t stashing public monies in their homes, cemeteries and evil forests.
As I write, I am forever confronted with the dramatic irony of living in a very rich and prosperous country like Nigeria, where you don’t need to treat the soil before it gives its bounty, where there are no Tsunami and hurricanes, with excellent climate and blessed with vast human potentials.
And that is why our prayer for those stashing monies in abandoned houses and in cemeteries would be for them to end up where their loot is buried.
Bob MajiriOghene Etemiku is ANEEJ communications manager @DsighRobert
