Tomiwa Awoyera: 10 Things the Buhari Administration Needs to Do to Curb Corruption

In Nigeria, corruption is the major problem we are facing. Corruption is an act of dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power for private gain. The rate at which corruption is practiced by the people in power, especially politicians is high. They are the people who harvest hard currencies in a cunning way, while their people see neither money nor food. They are the people who misuse the privilege bestowed on them by the creator to be of use to humanity.

In order to curb corruption and heal our land of its infection, the government needs to take an urgent look at it. Even in our society, corruption has been the order of the day. It has affected every facet of life in Nigeria.

The corruption saga in Nigeria has stained the image of this country abroad, and the majority of the people abroad refer to Nigeria as a corrupt nation. According to www.ekekeee.com>home>News, since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, over $400 billion of Nigeria’s oil revenue has been stolen.
As Buhari’s government promises to tackle corruption in Nigeria in his third agenda, there are some certain things that have to be done in order to succeed in fighting corruption.

Transparency and Accountability
The citizens should be able to exercise their right. They should have access to information about the government spending activities and demand for accountability. Also, the government should ensure transparent process in their businesses so that they will be accountable to the citizens.

Anti-corruption agencies
The anti-corruption law agencies [EFCC and ICPC] should ensure strict discipline to those found guilty without fear or favour. In some countries like China, Japan, Iran, etc., they execute the corrupt leaders through “death by hanging”. If this capital punishment cannot be done in Nigeria, they should be sentenced to severe years of prison term with hard labour.

Say “NO” to bribery
Corruption is not only practiced by our leaders; everybody is guilty of it. Let’s say “No” to any form of corruption e.g. bribery, stealing, embezzlement. Bribery is the act of giving money or favour to someone in order to induce him to act dishonestly.

Press freedom
The government should not dictate to the press in order to expose the secret of the corrupt leaders. The press serves as the intermediary between the government and the people. They should be free to investigate and report the state of things in the country.

Checks and balances
There should be checks and balances between the anti-corruption agency and the government. The EFCC and ICPC should monitor all the budget, finance, expenses of the government in order to ensure that there is no form of corruption.

Awareness
The young people [below 18] should be educated about the menaces of corruption through the NGOs, public lectures, schools etc because they are the future of the country, and so that their minds will not be poisoned by these corrupt leaders.

Youth empowerment
Over 80% of the youths are unemployed. Most of them extort money from people through advanced fee fraud, armed robbery, and many other criminal acts in other to earn a living. The government should provide employment for youth, social amenities, hand work free trainings etc. This will reduce the state of corruption in Nigeria.

Effective administration
In order to fight corruption, it starts from the government. There must be a collective work between the parliament and the heads of government. They must be able to be strict, and be disciplined in their administration.

Patience
In general, Nigerians need to cultivate the habit of patience. Some people involve themselves in corruption because they want to get rich as fast as possible and some because of the love for money.

Commitment
Also, commitment to stick fast to high standard of integrity by government authorities and the people is important in order to curb corruption in Nigeria.

In conclusion, the situation of corruption in Nigeria will be eradicated to the barest minimum if the government and the people of Nigeria can follow the points above.