The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has commended Nigeria for making significant strides in its fight against corruption, noting that more citizens are rejecting corrupt practices and demanding greater accountability from public officials.
Speaking at the 2024 International Anti-Corruption Day commemoration in Abuja on Tuesday, Mr. Cheikh Toure, UNODC’s Country Representative, highlighted the findings of a recent national corruption survey, which showed encouraging progress. According to the survey, 70 percent of Nigerians, including youth, have refrained from paying bribes at least once.
Toure also pointed to a near threefold increase in formal actions taken against corrupt public officials, which rose from 16 percent in 2019 to 45 percent in 2023. “This statistic is not just a number; it represents a growing culture of integrity and resistance against corruption,” he stated.
Furthermore, 42 percent of survey respondents cited moral reasons for refusing to pay bribes, underscoring the importance of ethics in shaping anti-corruption efforts. “This moral stance is the foundation upon which we must build our anti-corruption efforts,” Toure added.
While acknowledging these positive developments, Toure emphasized that further work is needed to foster integrity, transparency, and accountability in Nigeria’s public sector. He also stressed the importance of empowering the youth, who are particularly affected by corruption. Citing Felipe Paullier, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Toure pointed out that corruption undermines essential resources for education, healthcare, and social development, stifles creativity, limits job prospects, and compromises fairness in public life, including sports.
Despite these challenges, Toure expressed optimism, noting that young people are not only victims of corruption but also powerful agents of change.
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