On December 5, 2023, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) joined other CSOs and media outlets for a roundtable on how to strengthen anti-corruption reforms in Lagos State. The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IIDEA), in collaboration with the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), organized the roundtable as part of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II) Programme supported by the European Union
The RoLAC II program seeks, in part, to enhance the transparency and accountability of anti-corruption systems and reforms. This involves providing support to improve the legal framework and policy measures governing the work of anti-corruption agencies in prevention, law enforcement, and asset management and recovery functions.
Speaking during the event, Akinbode Oluwafemi, the Executive Director of CAPPA, represented by Gideon Adeyeni, Community Mobilizer and Programme Officer at CAPPA, reflected that Nigeria’s anti-corruption system must address the abuse of political power, as this constitutes the primary form that corruption takes. He also underscored the importance of ensuring transparency and accountability in government.
He noted that “When corruption finds a root in the seats of power, it spreads to other parts of society. The Lagos State anti-corruption system for instance, must lay emphasis on identifying and bringing to book those who use political power to perpetrate corrupt practices and enrich themselves. It is when we start from there that we can be sure that we can eradicate corruption at the other levels of the society.”
‘’Furthermore, strengthening the anti-corruption system requires that the institutional and legal framework for anti-corruption lays emphasis on ensuring transparency and accountability in government. It’s noteworthy that the current global technological landscape allows citizens to actively monitor the operations of government ministries, departments, and agencies in real time. State authorities in Nigeria must begin to utilize such systems to engender public participation in government and accountability,’’ he emphasized.
