Godwin Haruna
29 September 2008
(Page 2 of 2)
He said to succeed; ICPC and EFCC need the collaboration of the judiciary in the prosecution of alleged criminals. Mohammed regretted the fact that the courts are notoriously slow in dispensing justice. He also called for the partnership of the media in the fight against corruption. This, he said, was imperative because most communication in any society is mediated rather than face to face.
Quoting Abraham Lincoln, former American President, he said: "Public sentiment is everything. He who moulds public opinion goes deeper than he who executes statutes or pronounces decision. He makes statutes or decisions possible or impossible to execute."
Mohammed espoused further: "Obviously, we need information to fight corruption. For the fight to be successful, the information must have integrity. Free speech and free access to information are conditions for media integrity. However, they are not enough to guarantee media integrity. As well as free speech and free access to information, there is the need for the media to be impartial."
Also speaking, Mr. 'Funmi Coker-Onita, editorial board member of Daily Independent Newspaper, noted that corruption posed a serious developmental challenge and in the political realm, it undermines democracy and good governance by subverting formal process. He stated that the ability to convey or withhold information represents the media's greatest power, adding: "Their perception of situations and their ability to disseminate same accurately constitute a veritable instrument of enlightenment and education."
He said the nation was on the threshold of positive change and all anti-corruption agencies were left with no alternative than to play their part well. He assured that the media would be willing to play its part.
Significantly, last week, Nigeria moved up twenty seven places on the global Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2008, ranking 121 out of 180 countries surveyed by Transparency International (TI), the global anti-corruption watchdog. Nigeria, which TI described as having improved significantly in her corruption perception ranking, obtained a score of 2.7 out of a possible 10. She was also ranked 22nd out of the 47 nations surveyed in Africa, in terms of level of perceived corruption, having placed 148 in 2007 and 153 in 2006, out of 180 countries globally.
According to Transparency International, the CPI measures the perceived levels of public-sector corruption in a given country and is a composite index, drawing on different expert and business surveys. It also noted: "Recent developments, however, show that Nigeria's reputation as seriously committed to transparency and accountability is dependent on the resolve of political leaders to back anti-corruption pledges with concrete action, including ensuring the independence of anti-corruption agencies".
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
