THE Deputy Director in charge of Africa Office of MacArthur Foundation Dayo Olaide has said that reducing corruption in Nigeria will only be possible with Nigerians playing prominent roles.
He identified absence of accountability as the single most challenging problem in Nigeria.
Olaide made this statement during a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG).
According to him, reducing corruption in the country would only be possible with Nigerians playing prominent roles.
“Nigerians would have to be at the forefront of driving questions to reduce corruption in the country. So, If you look at our strategy, we emphasise collaborations with the government, non-governmental institutions and CSOs because they represent the people and so we see them as the demand side of the work,” he stated.
On accountability as the single most challenging problem in Nigeria, he said the issue of accountability went to the roots of all the other challenges bedevilling the country and said this was the reason it worked with the media and civil society organisations to build synergies to tackle corruption in the country.
He underscored the importance of PRIMORG and other grantees in partnering with citizens in demanding accountability and fighting corruption.
He added that: “In the last twenty to twenty-one years of Nigeria’s democracy, Nigeria has made some appreciable and commendable progress to modernise its laws, to improve transparency and accountability, but by far the biggest challenge or the gap is in terms of how we operationalise those laws, those rules. Those improvements in laws and processes and procedures are to be able to make them deliver democratic promises.”
The deputy director also revealed that the MacArthur Foundation, which is a United States-based foundation, had existed in the country for almost three decades.
“You would find our footprint across the wind of diplomatic issues. In the last twenty-five-plus years, we have supported a lot of interventions, primary education, girl secondary education, human rights protection and advancement, criminal justice reform, national mortality and promotion of sexual right in Nigeria,” he stated.
Earlier, PRIMORG’s Executive Director Okhiria Agbonsuremi had appreciated the MacArthur Foundation for its support through grant and the opportunity to work with the best of CSOs and media cohorts.
According to him, the project – which was in its second phase – was aimed at strengthening anti-corruption and accountability by amplifying corruption-related investigation reports on the radio and through social media, noting that the project was reliant on effective collaborations.
“PRIMORG’s intention is on how to work better with stakeholders, CSOs, and even if we are already having a good working relationship how can we make it better,” he said.
Blessing Otoibhi is a Multimedia Journalist and Anchor host for the News in 60 seconds at The International Center For Investigative Reporting. You can shoot her a mail via Botoibhi@icirnigeria.org or connect on Twitter @B_otoibhi