The Vice-President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has stated that the tactics deployed in the ongoing fight against corruption in the country must change for effective results.
Osinbajo who was speaking on Tuesday at the 20th Anniversary Africa Regional Webinar of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, themed “Combating Corruption and Illicit Financial Flows: New Measures and Strategies”, said that corruption must be made expensive for those who engage in it.
According to the Vice President who spoke amid the ongoing investigation of the suspended acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, over allegations of corruption, there was no magic bullet to ending corruption, stemming IFFs or promoting asset recovery and return.
He said: “We simply must work hard at it and be determined to succeed.
“We must make corruption expensive for those who engage in it and send the unequivocal message that corruption simply does not pay.
“Domestically, we must also be prepared to change, to some extent, our tactics in the fight against corruption.
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“Listening to Edward Kallon (The UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria who spoke earlier), I’m convinced that there are many practical steps that can be taken,” Osinbajo added.
Speaking further, Osinbajo who called for the democratization of the fight against graft noted that Nigerians were interested in the fight against grand corruption which cripples the economy.
“But they also want to see action in what would be regarded as petty corruption – in their interfaces with government officials either in the search for certifications, approvals of any kind, licenses, and all of that.
“Many want to see that corruption at that level is tackled effectively. “And I think that we must begin to look at innovative ways of doing so.
“Secondly, we must protect, even more, whistle-blowers – persons who come forward with information against corruption.
“We must protect those who are ready to fight against corruption and who are prepared to do so without necessarily disclosing their identities and even those who are ready to disclose their identities,” he concluded.
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