Transparency International (TI) has urged the National Assembly to expeditiously pass anti-corruption bills to allow for more transparency in governance.
Its chairperson, Delia Ferreira Rubio, made the appeal at the weekend when she visited the Chairman, House Committee on Financial Crimes Honorable Kayode Oladele who is also a Board Member Center for Counter Fraud Awareness (CCFA). The Executive Director of CCFA, Umar Yakubu was present at the session.
She visited Oladele in company of Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Ibrahim Musa and the African Regional Adviser Transparency International Samuel Kalinda.
Rubio said Nigeria is an important country in Africa, especially in the fight against corruption and hence, it was important to set the tone by visiting Nigeria first.
She said she was aware that the committee and by extension, the National Assembly have been able to pass some legislations to fight corruption, but there is need to do more to ensure a corruption-free system.
Oladele said the National Assembly has done a lot because of its commitment to fighting the menace of corruption.
He also said that the anti-corruption strategy approved by President Muhammadu Buhari last year encompasses: prevention of corruption which he said resulted in the Treasury Single Account; enforcement and sanctions (which involves detection, investigation and prosecution); special divisions in courts (for speedy prosecutions of corruption cases.)
Others, he said, were public engagement, which culminated in the Whistle Blower Policy and the raising of the ethical questions of how the public perceives corruption; and finally the recovery of the proceeds of crime.
See below for additional pictures from the event.
