By Chimezie Godfrey
Say No Campaign Nigeria, with support from Macarthur Foundation has canvassed for community participation in the fight against corruption in both public and private sectors in the country.
This was part of the resolution reached during a one day town hall meeting with community leaders in Edo state tagged, “Community Approach to Combating Corruption.”
The Co-convener of Say No Campaign, Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu in a remark at the Town Hall meeting urged the community leaders to use their respected and prestigious position to fight corruption and influence good governance in their various communities, asides merely complaining about corrupt practices.
Nwagwu said the Edo Town Hall meeting was the sixth of such engagement in the country coming after that of Kano, Borno, Enugu, Lagos, and Akwa-Ibom states.
He stressed that the engagement was designed to steer up peoples’ interest in fighting corruption from the local or community level.
He added that the campaign is interested in an anti-corruption fight led by the people.
A representative from The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Emmanuel Kudu noted that traditional Rulers need to volunteer information to the anti-corruption agencies who will investigate and do the needful, as this is one way they can contribute to the fight beyond mobilizing their community people.
Edo/Delta Public Enlightenment Officer of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Raphael Mmadike urged every community member to try and own the constituency projects within their domain; track and ensure its implementation, to benefit everyone in the community.
A network of community leaders was set up to integrate the values of uprightness among their followers, question service failure and track budget implementation in their communities.
They were also urged to take seriously the moral responsibility of advocating for integrity among their heterogeneous followers by not overlooking or condoning corruption.
