By Osaretin Osadebamwen
Nigeria’s greatest problem is not corruption but poor perception by people within and outside the country, Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission ICPC, Ekpo Nta said.
The anti-graft boss said the perception problem has been so exaggerated beyond reality thereby presenting the country as a corrupt nation globally.
He made this call Tuesday when the Executive members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ Abuja chapter led by Comrade Chuks Ehirim paid him a courtesy call in his office seeking collaboration with the Commission to make the public key into the commision’s activities.
He said the perception problem has been relied upon by Transparency International to present Nigeria in the light it has been doing saying the nation must address the issue of poor perception which has negatively affected the nation and its people.
Nta emphasized that Nigerians are good people who like any other good person from any clime if exposed to certain circumstances would give, saying that the nation must provide the environment to let out the goodness of the people.
“Nigeria’s greatest problem people think is corruption but I think Nigeria’s greatest problem is perception. If you have headache once a day and your mother goes around telling the whole world that my son has headache everyday permanently.
“And they will not know that by the time they start giving your breakfast, the headache is no longer there but you have sold the belief. Why am I saying this? The perception everywhere is that, oh Nigeria is so corrupt. When Nigerians begin to repeat this everywhere and come to believe in even the little good that you son or daughter is doing in the house you will not see.
“Transparency international is based on perceptions; perceptions are based on surveys we do. And my premise is simply that Nigerians are good people when exposed to circumstances that challenge even the best human beings in the world they are going to succumb to temptation and so what we need to do is to provide an environment to let that goodness of the Nigerian to come through.”
Nta who said that the ICPC respects human dignity in carrying out its activities of investigation said such observance of the law does mean the commission is weak and called on members of the public to inquire from those who have been arrested and investigated by the commission.
He said while the fundamental human rights of suspects are recognized within the ambit of the law, the suspects themselves have seen that the commission does not take lightly the issue of breach of public trust but prosecutes the matter to the end.
He then called on journalists to follow cases from the beginning to the end in a manner that would keep the issue in the front burner.
His words: “In ICPC we try to do our things within the boundary of human rights and respect for human dignity, we will continue to act in that way because it is something that has been founded in this place. For those who think we are soft they should ask those who have passed through here. They will tell you “yes” they smile but we didn’t know the other side of the place, we still get our things done and we will continue to do it.”
He called on the Nigeria Union of Journalists to flush out the fakes amongst its fold which he noted have continued to damage the image of Nigerian journalists.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) Abuja Council, Comrade, Chuks Ehirim commended the ICPC chairman in the manner he has conducted the activities of the Commission with due respect for human dignity even when they are suspects.
He pledged the preparedness of the FCT Council to work with the commission in projecting its activities.
