Sola POPOOLA
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)has identified the erosion of public trust as the biggest cost of corruption.
The CDD’s Director, Idayat Hassan, in a statement marking the 2022 International Anti-corruption Day also attributed the region’s recent spate of violent change of government to brazen corruption at the top echelon .
This year’s theme resonates,according to CDD ” strongly with us as it captures the existential realities of democratic decline and poor economic conditions, especially in West Africa, and works towards our aim of a region that is democratically governed and economically viable.
“Democracy promotes development, more so than other forms of government.
The statement said ” the CDD is pleased to join stakeholders around the world to mark this year’s international anti-corruption day with the theme: ‘UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption’, this aligns with the International Anti-Corruption conference theme ‘Uprooting Corruption, Defending Democratic Values
“Citizens are responsible for any change in society by holding the government and each other accountable, change is possible and corrupt practices can be significantly whittled. Civil society and anti-corruption partners need to continually close ranks by working in concert in a big coordinated push to disrupt the corruption equilibrium.
“coups is not tied to an aversion to democracy, but to the anger at the ways leaders are not held accountable for their actions – or inaction in some cases.
” This is why many organisations and institutions, from civil society to international partners, need to be active stakeholders in addressing this issue. Countries are able to make progress in a democratic setting where public funds are used judiciously to promote the public good.
However, the organisation said ” the rising trend of undemocratic values and tenets is a grave concern. Authoritarian governments appear to be on the rise, illegitimate transfers of power are an increasing norm and cases of human rights abuse are rampant.
“In each situation, groups have cited corrupt activities by governments and leaders as justification. The erosion of public trust is the biggest cost of corruption, and this is too high a price to pay for democracies around the world and especially in the West African region.
International Conventions, such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), provide the necessary normative and legislative framework for nation-states and organisations to anchor their efforts. There are 187 member states working to facilitate international cooperation by harmonising institutional and legal frameworks towards eradicating corruption by the challenges still present. The biggest issue remains the lack of sufficient action against corruption and kleptocratic regimes. Despite efforts by civil society organisations and accountability partners, both domestic and international, there is still a lot to be done.
“According to a recent OEDC report, illicit capital loss from the African continent is an estimated USD88.6 billion annually. These leakages occur through tax evasion, deliberate mis-invoicing of trade shipments, corruption and theft. Illicit financial flows, capital flight, terrorism funding and money laundering, and unbridled use of public resources to finance campaigns are recurring conduits of corrupt activities in West Africa. The outcome is a lack of resources for states to address rife poverty and insecurity, which wanes public trust and gravely impacts the growth of democracy and good governance.
CDD, therefore, urged states to support the creation and strengthening of anti-corruption agencies and relevant government institutions to ensure that there is a clear policy to help address these issues.
“Our experience in our ongoing support to ACAs in Nigeria indicates that effectively tackling corruption can be calibrated and optimised through dedicated support and structured partnerships on clearly identified tasks. But there must be a clear and demonstratable correlation between government’s anti-corruption activities and gains to citizens through better services, fewer official cases of abuse and drastically cut down examples of waste. Instances of leaders enjoying luxuries at the expense of citizens in the face of debilitating poverty must stop. Instead, governments must build an open and accountable state and allow citizens to freely and safely express and defend their interests. Democracy is beyond periodic elections but more about accountability, transparency and the participation of citizens in governance.
“Most of these are within the purview of the executive arm of government, but the legislature and the judiciary also have roles to play. Substantive justice must override technical justice. When PEPs are set free by the courts, on the strength of technicalities, public trust in the judicial system is eroded and apathy sets in. The legislature needs to up its ante in public accountability through self-discipline and ensuring oversight activities to curb waste. It cannot do so effectively when it is often accused of opacity in managing its allocated finances and embroiled in scandalous constituency projects.” CDD said