The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has applauded Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies for their relentless efforts in combating corruption despite severe political control, limited resources, and personal risks.
Auwal Ibrahim Rafsanjani, the Executive Director of CISLAC, gave the commendation in a statement on Monday in Lagos on the commemoration of 2024 International Anti-Corruption Day.
He commended operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) among others.
Rafsanjani said: “Many of these individuals (anti-corruption operatives) have faced threats to their lives for their work, underscoring the huge sacrifices they make daily to safeguard Nigeria’s future.
“It is imperative that Nigerians collectively support these agencies to ensure they deliver optimally.
“Corruption continues to plague every sector of Nigeria’s socio-economic and political landscape, serving as the root cause of systemic failures and deepening poverty, insecurity, and underdevelopment.
“As we mark International Anti-Corruption Day 2024, it is imperative to examine the pervasive effects of corruption in detail and emphasise its role in undermining national progress.”
He said that corruption had severely undermined Nigeria’s fight against insurgency and insecurity, diverting critical funds meant to bolster national defense into private hands.
According to him, the consequences of such corruption are devastating.
Rafsanjani said that the effect of corruption had also negatively impacted Nigerians’ access to basic amenities
“Mismanagement of funds, embezzlement, and systemic corruption in critical sectors have left millions of Nigerians without adequate healthcare, clean water, nutritious food, and quality education.
“This phenomenon undermines socio-economic development, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable populations,” he added.
Rafsanjani said that corruption had led to food insecurity, decline in education standards and has negatively affected conditions of all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in various camps.
He said corruption was also seen in the mismanagement of humanitarian aid, judiciary, public procurement, constituency projects, oil theft and economic sabotage as well as tax administration and evasion.
He said that corruption in the banking sector had also been enabling money laundering and terrorism financing.
Rafsanjani also decried failed transfers, lack of accountability in public funds that vanished through ghost projects as well as corruption in real estate has led to housing deficit.
According to him, political corruption in Nigeria had entrenched inefficiency, mismanagement, and a lack of accountability, hindering development and exacerbating inequality.
“From electoral malpractice to public officials’ abuse of power, corruption at all levels of government has led to a loss of public trust in the political system and worsened the nation’s socio-economic challenges.
“Electoral corruption has significantly undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process. The political system in Nigeria is not immune to corruption either.
“There is a significant lack of internal democracy within political parties, where individuals with large amounts of illicit wealth often hijack party structures.
“These corrupt actors use their financial muscle to control party primaries and the selection of candidates, leaving little room for truly democratic processes.
“As a result, political parties are often dominated by individuals with vested interests, further exacerbating the corruption problem within the Nigerian political landscape,” he said.
Tackling Corruption in Nigeria, Rafsanjani recommended strengthening of institutional frameworks and autonomy.
“To ensure an effective fight against corruption, the judiciary and key anti-corruption agencies (EFCC, ICPC, and CCB) must be reformed and insulated from political interference.
“These institutions should have full operational autonomy, and their leadership should be provided with security of tenure to prevent undue influence.
“Furthermore, local government autonomy should be guaranteed by empowering INEC to conduct local elections, ensuring greater accountability at the grassroots level,” he said.
Calling for a comprehensive electoral reforms and monitoring, he said there was the need to revitalise the education sector, boosting of healthcare funding and enforcement of transparency in public procurement and constituency projects.