THE alarm bell on the rate of corruption in Nigeria sounded by Transparency International (TI), is hardly surprising, coming as it were amidst the damning report of the House of Representatives Committee on fuel subsidy. Expectedly, the report has excited new agitations for the trial of those involved in underhand dealings in the matter, even as it further positions the country negatively in terms of financial and moral accountability.Transparency International, through a letter by its legal consultants, the Hague-based Fitch and Associates, addressed to President Goodluck Jonathan, expressed worry over the increasing cases of sleaze and scams in Nigeria in recent times. It noted that corruption rate was so high that the body had to double the number of its country rapporteurs in Nigeria, to be able to catch up with events. Significantly, there was staff movement in reverse direction from zero-corruption countries like New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Singapore, Norway, The Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland and Canada to Nigeria in this regard.No doubt, corruption has assumed alarming proportion in the country. The pension fund scam, the probe of the stock exchange and indeed the fuel subsidy fraud are more than enough to scandalise our citizens even more than foreign organisations. The bleeding of national resources translates into low productivity in the economy and unemployment for the people; and above all, it decreases investors' confidence in the economy. Transparency, public accountability and rule of law are necessary impetus to foreign direct investment, and sensitive to corrupt environment.Since the advent of the prevailing democratic dispensation, the country has not performed well in the area of probity, especially public funds expenditure. In 2000, 2004 and 2005, the country was rated as the most corrupt country in the world. It was ranked first among corrupt countries in the world in 2000 and third in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Last year, TI ranked Nigeria 143 out of 183 on the corruption perception index. In that report, two-thirds of ranked countries scored less than five on a weighted scale of 0-10. Nigeria scored 2.4. Ghana was ranked 69, with a score of 3.9; South Africa was 64, with a score of 4.1, while New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Singapore topped the list as the most transparent. The report underscored the point that corruption has continued to plague many countries across the world, indicating failure of governments to protect citizens from scam in the form of abuse of public resources, bribery or opaqueness in decision-making; and of course, their unwholesome repercussions. It is also worth recalling that only a few months ago, a report by the United States Annual International Narcotics Control Strategy indicated that Nigeria was not doing enough in checking illicit business activities in the country, including the notorious 419 racket.However, it would seem that there is a great deal of citizens' awareness of the increasing level of corruption in the country, hence the country-wide call for trial of corrupt officials during the anti-fuel subsidy protest early in the year. The trial and conviction of the former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori in Britain, added vitality to the anti-corruption crusade. Every Nigerian appears concerned about this cancerous tumour ravaging the country's political economy. Also recently, the Acting Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) pointed to the threat that corruption posed to the health of the country and called on Nigerians to take the issue very seriously. All the other institutions for combating the scourge of corruption in the country such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau would need added fillip in the fight against the plague. Indeed, state officials should move beyond rhetoric in the fight against corruption. Both the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke and Chief Justice Dahiru Musdapher have all expressed their commitment to the war against corruption. These concerns should be practically demonstrated for all to see. There is already indication that the government of the federation is having difficulties in meeting its monthly allocation to states. Beyond causing unjust enrichment of persons and providing avenues for other crimes, corruption remains a bleeding gash on the national economy which must be stopped. The country's experience has shown that corruption has drastically eroded, and it is still undermining the wellbeing of Nigerians. It is high time officials took concrete steps to discourage the continuing spread of corruption, stop its capital flight to the detriment of the economy, and repair the country's battered international image.
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