Distinguished Partners,
We bring you warm greetings and sincere compliments from all of us at the Center for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTIW).
The year 2022 has been momentous for us at the Center, and we are especially grateful for your support and interest in our work all year long. In retrospect, the year saw us making leaps and bold steps toward the realization of our vision as one of the key stakeholders in the fight against corruption. We have been consistent in promoting global best practices and entrenching the culture of transparency and accountability in the nation’s public sector, and we are glad at the impact of our projects and interventions at different fora. In 2022, the Center’s collaborative advocacy led to the passage of three anti-corruption legislations namely: the Terrorism Prohibition and Prevention Act, Money Laundering Prohibition Act and Proceeds of Crimes Act, which have undoubtedly strengthened the legal and institutional frameworks in the fight against corruption and insecurity.
We are pleased to also note that one of the Center’s flagship projects, the Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) developed in 2021 as a homegrown monitoring tool for promoting public sector transparency in line with the principle of proactive disclosure, witnessed an improved performance in the 2022 Assessment with the highest ranked organization, Development Bank of Nigeria scoring 58.74% up from the highest score of 34.92% in 2021. This was made possible through sustained advocacy and partnership with relevant stakeholders, especially the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), a government agency empowered to initiate and coordinate the implementation of reforms in the nation’s civil service.
Our other projects such as the Probes Monitor Portal which hosts grand corruption-related probes initiated by the National Assembly since 1999 is a work in progress in deepening democracy by enhancing transparency, and drawing the attention of relevant stakeholders to advocate and promote the conclusion of the avalanche of abandoned probes. Likewise, the Public Service Diary Portal developed in partnership with the BPSR will facilitate knowledge exchange between retirees and those in active service, and will be resourceful for the nation’s public service in the long run.
Concerned by the urgent need to discourage the weaponization of poverty through monetization of our electoral processes, the Center’s Electoral Financing project also seeks to promote transparency of political candidates’ source of electoral funding. The Center seized this opportunity to call on political candidates to respond to our questionnaire as a demonstration of their willingness to uphold the sanctity of our electoral process. As a moral obligation, they owe to the people they intend to serve.
The month of December is always an opportunity for stakeholders to reflect and recommit to the fight against public sector corruption. This year, to mark the auspicious occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, the Center, in recognition of the need for us to be more inclusive in the fight against corruption, organized “Good Governance and Organized Crime Quiz Competition” for youth corps members and secondary school students to inculcate the right values in young people. The event, a huge success, was a unique platform to sensitize young people on good governance and organized crime and its danger to peace and societal development.
Among several other events to mark this year’s celebration, the Center also joined the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Nigeria at a session on Nigeria’s Implementation of the 2014 and 2019 United Nations Convention Against Corruption Review Recommendations, where we recommitted to supporting the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy policy which has been renewed till 2026.
Dear reader, the year has indeed been impactful in many regards, and it is always a pleasure to talk about our election as the sub-Saharan African representative at the Board of the UNCAC Coalition which has expanded the scope of our interventions beyond the nation. In the coming year, we look to expand and mainstream the TII as a tool for measuring public sector transparency and accountability across the region. Consequently, the Center seeks regional and international collaboration with civil society groups to make this objective a reality. We believe that when we improve transparency and entrench the culture of proactive disclosure in public service, corruption would have been addressed by miles.
Once again, we appreciate your interest and partnership with the Center, and we look forward to making more impact together in 2023.
Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year in Advance.
Victor Agi
Head, Public Relations