By Salim Yunusa
About 42.4 percent Nigerians are corrupt while 51 percent public officials are also corrupt, a survey conducted by the Akin Fadeyi Foundation (AFF) as part of its three-year project end-line report has stated.
The survey, which was unveiled in Abuja on Tuesday, sampled the opinion of 35,427 Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones within a 60-day period.
The report indicates about 87.62 of respondents believe the fight against corruption could be won while 12.38 per cent believe corruption could not be won.
According to AFF, the belief by Nigerians that government officials are the most corrupt category of social actors underscores the need for the bottom-up approach adopted in the campaign.
Speaking at the launch of the three-year project end-line report 2020, the Executive Director, AFF, Akin Fadeyi, lauded the MacAuthur Foundation for its support in tackling corruption in Nigeria.
Fadeyi, who was represented by the Editor-in-Chief, Leadership Group, Mr. Azubuike Ishiekwene, lamented the adverse effects of corruption on national development.
He said: “Where it (corruption) is systemic in particular, delivery of public goods is near impossible and the dividends of democratic governance elusive. Without mincing words, this is the bane of development in our dear country, Nigeria.
“To effectively address this menace, therefore, a vivid and holistic understanding of its depth and the attendant challenges became inevitable.”
Fadeyi stated the need to systematically tackle corruption was what informed the creation of the FlagIT App, which helps citizens to report institutional corruption and document positive behavioural conducts from public officials in real time.
On the importance of the FlagIT App, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, said since the FRSC began working together with the foundation, it had been able to tackle corruption cases within the agency more swiftly.
A Senior Advocate, of Nigeria Mr. Yusuf Ali, commended the foundation for fighting corruption through advocacy and technology.
He however said the political system has to be cleansed to reduce the rate of corruption.
