The Grand Patron of Nigeria Youth Assembly, Prof. Pat Utomi has said that Nigerians do not have to be rich to fight corruption but should be in the right state of mind in recognizing the dangers of corruption.
Prof. Utomi stated this at a programme organized by the National Anti-Corruption Coalition (NACC) and Nigeria Youth Assembly (NYA) recently in Lagos.
He stressed that the need for personal commitment to fight corruption is what Nigeria needs to succeed in the fight rather than only looking at governmental efforts to curb the menace. He therefore urged all the participants at the event to take up the responsibility of fighting corruption in their own personal lives.
In his remarks, the Head of Education Unit of Lagos Zonal Office, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr. Olufemi Nofiu, said transparency, honesty and accountability, willingness to detect and report corruption cases and leading by example were the principal ingredients to move the country forward.
Mr. Nofiu stressed that whether great or small, corruption damages the system in terms of infrastructure decay, insecurity of life and property, violence, ethno-religious uprisings, poverty and lack of basic needs of life.
The Chairman of the occasion and the National President of Nigerian Youth Assembly, Comrade Ike Johnson, noted that corruption was a global issue and stressed the need to fight the monster no matter what it takes.
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