The creation of a public database of all recovered assets from persons indicted of corrupt practices in Nigeria has been advocated in order to enhance the fight against corruption in the country.
This emerged as a highlight of the public dialogue at a town hall meeting in Ikeja, Lagos, organized by BudgiT and involving the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), civil society organizations, and the media.
The meeting, which was convened to discuss challenges and collaborative ways of fighting corruption, agreed that such a public database would enhance transparency and accountability in the country.
Speaking while presenting a paper on: “Overview of BudgIT Anti-Corruption Campaign” during the meeting, Mr Tolutope Agunloye of BudgIT called on members of the public to use their various platforms to acquaint themselves with government projects in their communities, and to engage elected representatives at the State and Federal levels on budgetary provisions for projects while also educating them on how to report infractions.
Earlier in the meeting, Ms. Chibogu Obinwa, the representative of the Lagos State Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Coordinator, stated that her organisation was interested in tangible results associated with the fight against corruption, and urged participants to clearly state at the end of the meeting what they would do in their locality to improve citizen participation and prompt government to do its job.
The ICPC representative, Mrs. Mary Omonoyan, also spoke on: “The Journey So Far in the Anti-Corruption Fight: ICPC Perspective” during which she explained the Commission’s mandate and initiatives, especially the National Ethics and Integrity Policy, Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative (CEPTI), Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) and the Nigeria Corruption Index Report.
Other speakers at the event included Mr EldaDavid Samuel of Nigerian Global Affairs Council (NIGAC), who presented a paper on “The Role of CSOs and Media in the Fight against Corruption”.