Ethical Revolution Needed to Eradicate Corruption-Akanbi
By Olawale Olaleye and Uchenna Ohakam
Initiation of an ethical revolution that would permeate the polity from top to the bottom, had been identified as one of the major ways to stamp out corruption in the country.
Justice Mustapha Akanbi, chairman Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) who made the declaration yesterday at the 6th Social Sciences Lecture Series of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos argued that the lack of transparency in governance often results in economic ruin and political instability as well as social degeneration in any given society.
According to Akanbi, "that being so, it is well to opine that what touches all must be solved by all. And since society by definition is a system in which people live together in organised communities, the enthronement of transparency becomes the responsibility of all.
"I repeat that the promotion of transparency and good governance is a task that has to be done by all and sundry. The leadership and the followership must be totally committed in bringing about changes in attitude and orientation- the sort of change that is manifestly seen to be transparent and honest and which places premium on accountability", he said.
Akanbi explained that in the fight against corruption, leaders must lead by example and must be seen to be above board in the conduct of their personal and official duties, adding that the followers must be encouraged to believe and know that it pays to be honest and that cutting corners, cheating, engaging in dishonest acts and corruption do not make a great people or a great nation.
"It must always be emphasised and borne in mind that preventing misconduct of any kind is a complex phenomenon that could succeed only through integrated mechanism based on sound ethics management system", pointing out that the Anti-Corruption Act which was signed into law in June 2000 provided a legal framework for fighting corruption.
Akanbi therefore noted strongly that the effect of corruption was not by any means lost on the nation. "As we continued to abandon the path of honour and rectitude and ceased to see honesty as the best policy, our problems became more and more compounded.
Corruption which has been described as the mother of all crimes gave birth to armed robbery and all forms of crime".
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