Former communications minister calls for refocused anti-corruption campaign

Former Minister of Communications Dr Abdur-raheem Adebayo Shittu has called on the Nigerian Government to refocus its anti-corruption campaign and tackle corruption headlong.

Shittu made the call on Sunday at the National Anti-Corruption Conference organised by the Youth Development and Moral Rebirth Initiative in collaboration with the Nawair-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria Youth Wing Abuja branch.

The former Minister who was the Chairman of the occasion urged the government to desist from any form of “face value” corruption fight.

 “My suggestion is that, after coming to office, we need to have sensitised the people. A lot of people are hearing corruption but they don’t know what corruption means. They have seen corruption as normal. So, we ought to have held a series of meetings and conferences to sensitise people to know what is corruption; to know what are the symptoms of corruption; to feel that corruption is the worst thing that can happen to any society; create phone lines where you can speak about corruption and to create several anti-corruption agencies in schools and among local communities and so on,” he stated,

He opined that “it is not too late to get it right”.

He called on Muslims to “enjoin good and eschew everything corrupt.” adding that “If Muslims were to lead with this precept, of course, the entire country will become reformed completely but because Muslims have failed to live up to their bidding as Muslims, who have had the right lecturing through the hadiths and Quran…The lives of Muslims, particularly in Nigeria is completely different from the teachings of Islam. Muslims should go back to the teachings of Islam and the prophet so that they can teach the rest of humanity the best of conduct which will make the universe a better place for all to live in,” 

Chief host and Imam Nawair-Ud-Deen Mosque, Abuja branch, Barrister Moshood Adeyemi called for an attitudinal change in Nigerians to completely eradicate corruption.

“Nigerians are the ones under-developing Nigeria…The type of politics we play in Nigeria is not the one prescribed by Islam. How much servitude are our leaders playing? Leadership in Nigeria does not accept corrections from its followers,” he said.

He added that, because of corruption, anti-graft agencies are not punishing the guilty. “With the three bodies we have, we have not been able to tackle corruption. Let them (ICPC, EFCC and…) be properly examined. Let there be an attitudinal change in the bodies handling corruption in Nigeria.”

However, he suggested that only the inclusion of Mallam in the fight against corruption will end it. “If the government cares to listen, bring the Imam to fight corruption. Yes, some imams are corrupt, but, there are always exceptions,” he said.

President Youth Development and Moral Rebirth Initiative Abdulwasiu Adebayo said, “the global ranking over the years have been placing Nigeria on 143 or 144 in the ranks of corrupt nations. We still have a lot of things to do to improve the way we fight corruption so that we can be among the top 10 countries that are corrupt free.
Our aim as an organization is to discourage and campaign against indecency, indiscipline, terrorism and all sort of corrupt and immoral practices,” he said.

The conference themed: ‘Religious Inclusion Towards Combating Corruption: Alternative and Sustainable Approach’ is organised towards marking United Nations World Anti Corruption Day.

Nnenna.O