Why we need to teach our children about the damage caused by corruption

Corrupt people often do not realise they are corrupt. Most of them do not recognise that their actions are causing harm to people. To make matters worse, these corrupt persons are praised and celebrated for their corrupt actions by their friends, family and those who directly benefit. The sad truth is… and it pains me to say it, but many corrupt people are actually quite likeable. Often charismatic and outgoing. All of these factors makes it difficult to teach children about the harm corruption is having.

This is the challenge I’m trying to tackle through my forthcoming children’s book ‘Emeka’s Money’. Emeka was a good man, and tried to do good things for the people he liked. However, he did not realise that his ‘nice actions’ to his friends were causing damage to the growth of his people and community. In one part,  Emeka helps a friend secure a road contract from the State Governor. The kick-backs from the corrupt deal are so severe that the roads are not built well, and a woman gets injured in a road accident as a result. The book tries to make direct links between different aspect of corruption and the real harm they cause on people.

We need to get better at explaining the reasons why we should not engage in corrupt activities and make this real and relatable for people. Just saying that people should not be corrupt is not enough. Even corrupt people say that people should not be corrupt. It is more impactful to link corruption to the poor circumstances of the people around us. To prevent future generations from adopting what has become a common practice in Nigeria we need to start shaping the minds of our children. We all need to understand the importance of integrity in public office and delivering services for all. This goes far beyond being likeable and delivering only for our friends and family.

To find out more about 'Emeka's Money' you can visit my book launch website https://emekasmoney.wordpress.com

Unexplained Wealth in Nigeria: the need for action by all Nigerians

Emmanuel Okoro (not his real name) is a Nigerian Public Servant who has just bought a mansion in highbrow suburb of Maitama in Abuja. His family and friends congratulate him, ‘He has arrived’, they say, referencing the great luck that has fallen upon him - “We thank God oh!”

Most of those patting Emmanuel on the back fail to ask a fundamental question: How could he afford it? Can he afford this property on his current income? Some go further to explain his source of wealth by boldly saying ‘it’s not just his salary, he is into ‘contracts’’, as if that made the money legitimate. The acceptance of unexplained wealth is one of the reasons that corruption thrives in Nigeria. When people engage in corrupt activities, they are celebrated and not ‘booed’ or punished.

In many cases ‘unexplained wealth’ is created through the corruption which is hobbling the essential public services needed by Nigerians. Corruption in the award of public contracts is one area where a number of corrupt public officials become wealthy. Billions of naira are spent on various capital projects (roads, hospital buildings etc) yet many of these projects are never completed. Whilst the poor in rural communities in Nigeria find it hard to access basic public services like health care, the public servants and politicians responsible for making this happen get richer.

On the 31st of January of 2018, the UK government introduced the Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) which is an investigative tool that aims to interrogate the source of wealth of property owners in the UK and will aid in the recovery of corrupt assets particularly when politically exposed persons (PEPS) or individuals with luxurious properties cannot justify the source of their wealth. This act will help Nigeria to recover corrupt assets and end the impunity of some of our officials. However it would be much more impactful if our own asset declaration law was properly implemented, instead of what is currently experienced where a large number of public officials do not declare their assets. Even in cases where some declare their assets at the beginning of their tenure, they hardly declare their assets when leaving public office.

Beyond having a policy or an executive order in place, there needs to be a change in behaviour amongst Nigerian generally. We need to start asking questions when we see our family friends or family members that have suddenly acquired luxurious properties or cars which is apparently above their legal income. Pastors and priests in churches need to stop collecting thanksgiving donations from church members who they know have been corrupt.

Nigerians cannot continue to allow these practices. We need to start asking questions. We need to stop tolerating and celebrating unexplained wealth.

Mainstreaming Anti-Corruption in Nigeria's N500 Billion Social Investment Programme

The Federal Government of Nigeria is implementing a N500 billion social investment programme that is aimed at improving the lives of the poorest Nigerians.  The programme has five key areas and they are:

•  Home grown school feeding programme that aims to provide free school meals for 5.5 million poor children
•  Conditional cash transfer programme which will provide N5000 monthly payments to targeted poor households
• Growth enterprise and empowerment programme  that aims to provide access to credit for market women, youth and artisan
•  N-power programme which will provide jobs for graduates and non-graduates. 500,000 graduates’ and 100,000 graduates are being targeted.
• STEM Bursary will give financial support to tertiary students studying engineering, maths, science and technology

These five programme areas aim to address issues of youth unemployment, school enrolment, economic hardship, lack of access to finance by small and medium scale enterprises which will ultimately reduce the poverty levels.

 A huge amount of resources has been allocated to this programme. It is essential that anti-corruption measures are in place to ensure that services are adequately delivered and monies not lost to corrupt practices. These measures will ensure that the right beneficiaries are selected and not used as jobs for the ‘boys’. Mainstreaming anti-corruption in this area will require improving citizen engagement in the planning and implementation of the programme, empowering citizens to report corruption as well as encouraging government to establish transparent and accountable systems. Examples of some of these measures include:

Role of government

• Publish annual reports on the progress of the programme
•  Establish a national anti-corruption hotline in the office of the Special Adviser to the President on social protection to enable citizens report corrupt practices
•  Create a simple SMS feedback system where citizens and beneficiaries can report corrupt practices
• Conduct public audits of these programmes and make the audit reports available to citizens
•  Monitor and evaluate the programme
• Develop service charters which should be made publicly available and can be used by citizens to hold government to account

CSOs

• Facilitate beneficiary and community monitoring of these schemes
• Manage anti-corruption hotlines for this programme and send reports to relevant anti-corruption agencies or government departments
•  Establish or strengthen existing community associations in targeted areas to hold public hearings on the delivery of the programme. In those hearings, beneficiaries can share their experiences and observations of corruption. The findings can then be passed on to the relevant government department or agency for action.
•   Facilitate the development of citizen report cards and publishing those reports

Media

• Investigate the implementation of the programme and make known public any discrepancies or corrupt practices

However, it is important to note that genuine political will to improve the delivery of services under this programme is critical for the successful mainstreaming of anti-corruption. 

Nigeria has accepted to be a member of the Open Government Partnership. These anti-corruption measures mentioned above are in line with the key principles of the Open Government Partnership. CSOs will need to continue the demand for improved citizen engagement and effective service delivery in this area and remind government of their commitment to the OGP principles. 

Reforming NNPC: NRGI report

The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) recently released a report which provides an insight into Nigeria’s National Oil Company (NNPC) oil sales. This report reveals the various ways NNPC has mismanaged Nigeria’s main revenue stream. It also reveals how unaccountable NNPC has been in the management of Nigeria’s oil revenues. The report makes interesting recommendations on reforming the operations of NNPC that would ensure more transparency and enable Nigeria manage its oil wealth prudently.

Key Issues and Recommendation from the report

Issue	Recommendation
Domestic Crude Allocation	Eliminate Domestic Crude Allocation
Revenue retention by NNPC and its subsidiaries	Government should develop  clear revenue collection framework to control discretionary spending by NNPC
Oil for Product Swap Agreements	Oil for Products Swap Agreement should be phased out. Future swap deals should be competitively awarded refined product exchange agreements with stronger terms
The abundance of middle men	NNPC should stop the sale of oil to unqualified companies both Nigerian and Foreign and improve its due diligence
Corporate Governance, Oversight and Transparency	Government should lead a programme of transparency and accountability in NNPC and empower scrutiny by oversight actors

Click to view NRGI full report

In addition to the recommendations made in the NRGI report, the new government should consider the following to enhance transparency and accountability in NNPC’s operations:

• The process for allocating oil blocs should be made clear and more transparent
• The names of those awarded oil blocs licenses should be made publicly available
• Oil contract terms and conditions should be made publicly available.
• The representation on NNPC board should be broadened to include key oversight institutions such as CBN, Ministry of Finance, Federal Inland Revenue Service as well as representatives from credible civil society organisations
• It should be compelled to publish full independently audited accounts annually and required to answer questions from its shareholders, the Nigerian People.
•  NNPC should adhere strictly to the Freedom of Information legislation and respond to any queries from the public on their operations.

The Nigerian government has started taking steps to reform NNPC. It has dissolved the NNPC Board, appointed a new Group Managing Director and sacked all the group executive directors. There are plans to split NNPC operations into two (investment and regulator arm).  The NRGI report makes good recommendations which the new government should consider implementing. The new GMD has a great task ahead. He should implement these reforms that will save Nigeria’s oil revenues from being lost to corruption and other wasteful practices.

Can financial autonomy to local government chiefs improve service delivery in local communities?

The Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai recently set the stage for reforming Nigeria’s local governments. He has ended the joint account systems between the state and local governments in his state. In addition, the governor made a commitment to give 10% of internally generated revenue to local governments in his state. Many local government chairmen blame poor service delivery at the local levels on state governments not releasing funds to them. Therefore, financial autonomy for local government chairmen is a good first step towards achieving effective service delivery at local levels.  

However, financial autonomy alone is not a guarantee for successful delivery of services at the local levels. It should be accompanied by accountability measures to ensure that local government chairmen do not mismanage or abuse public funds. These accountability measures should be upward (to the state government) and downward (to citizens/beneficiaries in communities). Kaduna state government has also led the way in this area by partnering with a civil society group (yourbudgit) to create a platform for citizens to access budget records, monitor progress and provide feedback. This is a welcome development and should be replicated by the other 35 states.

Beyond Kaduna State, here are some accountability measures that can be introduced or strengthened by other states at the local level to ensure effective management of funds in the delivery of public goods and services. These measures can be categorized as follows:

Upward Accountability –to the state governments

1. Performance contracts between state governors and the local government chairmen

State governors should introduce annual performance contracts between state governments and the local government chairmen. The performance contract will state the expected performance standards for each year. It will list the public goods and services that the local government chairman is expected to deliver for that year. Performance will be reviewed at the end of the year by the state government and community representatives. Appropriate action should be taken when the local government chairmen fail to deliver. This contract should be made publicly available.

2. Publish all budgetary allocations

The state governments should ensure that all local government chairmen publish their monthly budgetary allocations.

3. Conduct independent audits of local government accounts 

The state auditor general office should conduct regular audits on local government accounts. These audits should be made publicly available.

4. Transparency in the procurement processes

Local government chairmen should be made to publish all contracts awarded in the provision of public goods and services. For example, building of rural roads, provision of water, building schools, hospitals etc.

5. Establish complaints handling mechanisms

State governors should establish an avenue for citizens to report or complain about poor service delivery. It could be in the form of hotlines based in the governor’s office. This will also aid in monitoring the delivery of local services.

Social Accountability- to the citizens    

                                 

With the support of non-governmental organisations (NGOs)/community based organisations (CBOs), citizens in local communities should do the following:

1. Monitor the procurement process

The process for awarding and implementing contracts should be closely monitored by citizens. NGOs/CBOs can make a great difference in in this area.

2.  Monitor service provision

Citizens in the communities should track and monitor the delivery of key services. Feedback from the monitoring should be made publicly available and presented to the state governor and the local government chairman.

3. Establish service charters for various local services

The citizens in local communities should advocate for the establishment of service charters for various services in the local communities. E.g. service charter in hospitals, schools, registration of births, refuse collection, agricultural services etc. The service charter is a social contract between the service provider and service beneficiaries that lists the expected services and standards and provides information on how citizens can make a complaint if these standards are not met. Service charters are useful tools as it will help communities in monitoring the delivery of public services.

4.  Conduct annual social audits

Social audits is another form of community monitoring that can be conducted to compare the budgetary allocations and expenditures with the actual goods and services procured. The results from the social audit can be presented and discussed in a public hearing.

Financial autonomy for local government chairmen is a necessary first step in improving service delivery at the local levels. However, financial autonomy alone cannot improve service delivery in local communities. It should be accompanied by accountability measures (both upward and downward) to ensure the effective provision of local goods and services.  These accountability measures can only be effective with the cooperation from state governments.

Letting the beast loose!

With five ex-governors being arrested by Nigeria’s top anti-corruption agency (EFCC), the key question is will the cases be seen to completion? Will any of these prosecutions be successful? Is Nigeria’s judiciary ready for this new challenge? According to records on the EFCC website, there was only one conviction linked to the misuse of public funds in 2014, that conviction took 9 years from the day of being charged to court through to conviction. The length of time taken to secure convictions is too long.

The conviction of corrupt politicians or government officials will send a message to current political office holders that it is no longer business as usual. The judiciary system will need to be reformed to ensure that there is an increase in the number of convictions particularly those that involve corrupt politicians or anyone caught misusing public funds. The current government should fast track corruption cases that involve current or past political office holders. This may involve setting up special courts for handling corruption cases. An effective judiciary is crucial to the fight against corruption. Letting the beast loose is a good first step but we need to make sure that the beast has teeth.

For those interested, please see link to EFCC’s 2014 convictions:

https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/images/2014_Convictions.pdf

How did Nigeria Perform in the 2014 Transparency International Corruption Index?

Yet again, Nigeria retained its position of being the 3rd most corrupt country in the West African Region. This was highlighted in the 2014 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index released today. Transparency International Corruption Perception Index ranks countries based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. The measurement is based on a scale of 0 to 100 with a score of 0 perceived as "highly corrupt" and 100 "very clean". Nigeria’s performance on the 2014 ranking is slightly better than its 2013 ranking. It ranked 136 out of 175 countries with a score of 27 compared to 2013 when it ranked 144 out of 176 countries with a score of 25.

In Sub-Sahara Africa, Botswana ranked the best at 31 with a CPI score of 63. Cape Verde retained its number one position in the West African region being the best with a rank of 42 and CPI score of 57.Ghana ranked 61 with a CPI score of 48. Please see table below showing Nigeria’s performance in comparison with other West African countries.

Position	Country	Rank	2014 Score	2013 Rank	2013 Score
1	Cape Verde	42	57	41	58
2	Ghana	61	48	63	46
3	Senegal	69	43	77	41
4	Benin	80	39	94	36
5	Burkina Faso	85	38	83	38
6	Liberia	94	37	83	38
7	Niger	103	35	106	34
8	Mali	115	32	127	28
9	Cote d'ivoire	115	32	136	27
10	Sierra Leone	119	31	119	30
11	Togo	126	29	123	29
12	Gambia	126	29	127	28
13	Nigeria	136	27	144	25
14	Guinea	145	25	150	24
15	Guinea Bissau	161	19	163	19

An Urgent Call for Transparency and Accountability in Nigeria’s Security Sector

 ‘Daddy, Boko Haram is here… they are taking us away. Please tell mummy I may never see her again. Tell her to pray for me,”( Abducted Chibok girl- CNN May 9, 2014  )- This is the trauma that many Nigerians have been exposed to as a result of the activities of the local terrorist group called Boko Haram. The recent abduction of almost 300 girls in Chibok, Maiduguri has generated global attention to terrorism and insecurity in Nigeria. Bomb attacks and unrest have become a daily occurrence in the Northern part of the country. Let’s not forget random kidnappings and armed robbery that occur regularly in other parts of Nigeria.

Considerable resources are allocated to the security sector yet there appears to be no improvement in security. In the past three years, about N2.8 trillion naira ($17 billion dollars) have been allocated to security, 3.5 times the size of Nigeria’s Federal Health Budget, 2 times the Federal Education budget and 12 times the Federal Agriculture budget. 

Despite these resources, some soldiers deployed to fight the terrorists claim that of the N30, 000 ($200) of allowances that theyare entitled to they only receive N15, 000 ($100). Basic equipment and camp provisions are inadequate for fighting the terrorists. The 2013 Transparency International Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index (GI) ranks Nigeria alongside countries like Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq as countries with a very high risk of corruption in the defence sector, with limited transparency and legislative oversight on expenditures in this area.  

The Coordinator of the Procurement Monitoring Group in Nigeria, Ms Seember Nyager recently emphasized the need for the security contracts to be made publicly available.I agree with her and join the call for more transparency in this area. Nigerians need to demand for more transparency in the expenditure of the security budget and more accountability for those entrusted with security spending. Not only should this be an election issue for 2015 but arguably action should be taken now, with the anti-graft agencies getting more involved in investigating any alleged cases of corruption in the sector with prosecutions and convictions. If the Nigerian Government is serious in providing security to the nation, political appointees should be sacked if soldiers, police etc. are not receiving their rightful allowances.  There needs to be more accountability in this area.

Politicians running for office in 2015 should commit to increasing transparency in the expenditure of the security budget. Leaders need to take action where there is evidence of budgeted funds not being used appropriately.  Nigerians should ask parliamentarians representing their constituencies to commit to ensuring proper legislative oversight in this area. The largest chunk of the country’s budget is spent on security. Lives are being lost on a daily basis as a result of violence. We need better security outcomes. Please let’s demand for more transparency and accountability in this area to avoid more deaths and people sleeping in bushes as is currently the case in the Chibok community.

The missing Chibok girls: What the Nigerian government should have done

It has been three weeks (23 days) since over 200 young secondary school girls were abducted in Chibok, Borno state.The government’s response has been disappointing resulting in nationwide protests.There are many immediate actions that the Nigerian government should have taken to demonstrate its commitment as well as help in bringing back the girls home.They include the following:

• A nationwide presidential broadcast should have been given immediately after receiving the news of the abducted girls.
• No time ought to have been wasted. The military should have been mobilized immediately to go into the Sambisa forest (where it is believed that the girls were initially taken) rather than allowing parents with no military training to do so.
• The  government should have urgently requested for help from the international community to join forces with its military.
• A counselling center should have been set up for the families of the abducted girls.
• The government should have briefed Nigerians daily on progress being made to bring back the girls.
• The government should have worked with the school and families of the abducted girls to determine the names and numbers of the missing girls and not blame traumatized parents for being uncooperative.

Immediate responses like these are what Nigerians expect from its government. Setting up a committee weeks after the girls had been abducted is not the solution. In addition, arresting protesters fighting for the release of the girls is unacceptable and insensitive.

The Nigerian government needs to improve its intelligence gathering and the military’s capacity to handle terrorism issues. One of the main functions of government is to provide security for its people.  It is the right of every Nigerian to have good security. Nigerians need proper action now from its government. Please bring back our girls home.

The Nigeria I Dream Of……………….

 A number of disturbing events have occurred in Nigeria in the first quarter of this year. The most notable ones are the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment stampede which led to the death of over 20 young Nigerians, the Abuja bomb blast at the Nyanya bus station where 75 people lost their lives and several others injured as well as the kidnapping incidence of over 200 young female students by Boko Haram. Let us not forget the daily killings that occur in the North East as a result of terrorist attacks, communal clashes in different parts of the country, the controversial missing $20 billion and the suspension of the CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

Despite being the largest economy in Africa, Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest number of people living in extreme poverty. It has the largest population of children not enrolled in school and accounts for one tenth of neo-natal deaths in the world. Reversing these negative trends requires an effective government genuinely committed to serving the people.

I dream of a Nigeria where:

• Citizens have access to good health care, education, constant electricity supply and good roads
• Accident victims will not be refused medical treatment in hospitals due to the non-availability of a police report
• Students can be educated without fear of being killed or kidnapped by terrorists
• Lecturers don’t go on strike
• Road accidents are rare
• Air travel is safe
• Nigerians can sleep without fear of boko haram, armed robbers or kidnappers
• Jobs are readily available
• The Public sector is not the main source of formal employment
• Recruitment process in both public and private organisations are fair, transparent and based on merit
• Corruption is not celebrated or tolerated
• Government leaders are responsible and resign voluntarily when they have failed the people
• Sanctions /punishment are given to erring public officials
• Awards are given to those who truly deserve it
• Elections are free and fair
• Citizens are able to vote based on well-presented manifestos which they can hold politicians accountable to and not by sentiments of tribe or religion

Finally I pray for a Nigeria with good leaders genuinely committed to transforming Nigeria.

This is my dream and I hope it is a reality some day!

Job Creation & Nigeria's Political Elite

Nigeria’s National Conference: An opportunity to empower citizens?

Back in the mid 1990s, the Ugandan central government provided grants to improve primary school enrollment and learning.  An initiative to track the way funds were being spent revealed that the average school received only 20% of the grants, the bulk of the grants were captured by politicians and local government officials. The government responded to the problem in an innovative way. They published information in newspapers on each school grant, so the parents could see what the schools were supposed to receive and hold their local government to account. A study carried out by Ritva Reinikka and Jakob Svensson in April 2005 showed that both enrollment and test scores improved in areas where the information was published. Empowering parents with the right information to monitor local government officials handling public funds led to better outcomes for their children.

In Nigeria, this type of accountability is more difficult to achieve. Like Uganda in the mid-1990s, we know that much of public funds have not translated into services for the people. It’s not enough to publish your Federal Budget or State Allocations and expect transformation. Citizens need information they can relate to on issues that directly touch on their lives. The current Federal system makes this more challenging. The National Conference provides an opportunity to look again at ways to empower Nigerians in the fight against corruption and pursuit of public service delivery.

Below are three suggestions for the National Conference :

1. More autonomy for local governments and higher expectations from citizens: statutory allocations should be given directly from the Federation Account to local governments rather than through States. This information should be transparent and local governments should be compelled to publish detailed budgets. For example, if citizens know how much is allocated for road maintenance which is never delivered they will know who to hold accountable. This may also help to improve citizen participation in governance.
2. State Governments to be responsible for policing at the state level: the current situation of Federally appointed police commissioners in charge of policing within States blurs the lines of accountability. If security is out of control in a State, it will be good for citizens to know who to hold accountable.
3. Remove the immunity clause from the constitution: leaders should at least be held to the same standards as their citizens. There is no reason why criminality should be accepted at any level in Nigeria. 

The Job Interview from Hell! Nigeria Immigration Service Recruitment Exercise

The death toll is still unfolding from the mass recruitment exercise organised by the Nigeria Immigration Service. Disturbing news through-out the day on the horrible experience that unemployed Nigerians suffered. I just spoke to one of the Abuja candidates and you can listen to his harrowing account below:

The Federal Government should not allow poor Nigerians to suffer this fate. There are many questions for Nigeria Immigration Service to answer, and the people responsible should be held to account.

Institutions vs Leadership in Nigeria's fight against corruption

At least two perspectives on fighting corruption have emerged this week from key Nigerian reformers that served together during the Obasanjo era.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, during a BBC interview with Will Ross, passionately emphasized the need for strong institutions and systems to tackle corruption.  To the extent that she was dismissive of the role of whistle-blowers “It is not very sexy to build systems and institutions. It takes time and nobody wants to discuss it. All they want to do is talk about personalities and who blew the whistle…”

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu on the other hand, in his speech at the Nigeria’s Governor’s Forum, stressed the need for leadership by example and sanctioning corrupt officials.  Premium times quoted him as saying  “The money coming to us is ending up in extremely few hands. Corruption must be made unattractive and difficult to commit. When there is transparency, there is less room for direct stealing…where there are sanctions, there will be no impunity. Impunity means failure to punish.”  He urged the State Governors to lead by example.

You can understand why the emphasis is different between the two. One currently has a role in government and the other is in opposition. Yet for Nigeria to effectively tackle corruption it will need to build institutions and have leaders that lead by good example, with no room for impunity. Nigeria needs both good leaders and institutions.  

A Model Manifesto for Tackling Nigeria’s Corruption

Nigeria’s main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress Party (APC) recently presented their draft road map on fighting corruption as part of their manifesto. APC has identified some entry points for tackling corruption in Nigeria- in particular ensuring the independence of anti-corruption agencies through funding them directly from the consolidated revenue fund, speedy trials of corruption cases and placing the burden on person with inexplicable wealth to prove their innocence in corruption cases. Yet the draft APC road map did not go far enough and missed some key areas. Below is my proposed manifesto for tackling corruption in Nigeria:  

1. Tackling Corruption in Oil Industry

Reclaiming Missing Revenues

• Conduct an independent forensic audit of unaccounted oil revenues potentially owed to Federation Account. Make the findings of the report publicly available and establish a repayment plan for any outstanding revenues from NNPC.

Tackling Oil Theft

• Government will put in place three pronged approach to tackle oil theft, addressing security of pipelines, tackling organised crime, and ensuring alternative livelihoods of the poor.

Controlling Fuel Subsidies

• Payments for petrol or kerosene subsidies will only be paid if there is verification that the product has been imported and there is adequate provision for funds in the Federal Budget.

Improving Transparency

• All oil bloc allocations should go through transparent and credible licensing rounds (with no exceptions for “strategic national interest”)
• No more confusion over oil production or revenues. Establish system for metering oil production and oil exports, making data publicly available.
• Terms and conditions of oil contracts to be made publically available.

Improving Accountability

• National oil company (NNPC) and key oil sector institutions to become accountable to all Nigerians. It will be compelled to publish full independently audited accounts annually and required to answer questions from its shareholders the Nigerian People.
• Increase the representation on the board of NNPC and key oil sector institutions (DPR, PPPRA etc) to include a broader range of Nigerians including key oversight institutions (CBN, NEITI, Ministry of Finance, Federal Inland Revenue Service), and representatives of credible CSOs.
• NNPC fast tracked toward commercialisation, with clear governance and oversight established.

2. Tackling Corruption in Public Service

Merit based Recruitment, Promotions and Postings

• While respecting Federal Character principles all public service recruitments, promotions and postings shall be driven solely by merit and not by connections to influential individuals.

Tackling the Ghosts in the System

• Remove all ghost workers and ghost pensioners from public service payrolls and prosecute all perpetrators.

Public Service Conduct and Protection

• Ensure full implementation of asset declaration. All public officials who have not complied with existing rules will be compelled to leave public office.
• Ensure appropriate legislation in place to protect whistle-blowers and encourage culture of reporting corruption.

Transparency in Contract Awards

• Improve transparency in contract awards. Ensuring contracts over N500,000 and the names of companies winning the bids are published transparently on the relevant public agency websites.

3. Tackling Corruption in Political parties

• Clean up political party financing and expenditure. Publish list of all political party donors that donate over N500,000 with exact details of how much was provided. Political parties and candidates will be required to publish all their campaign expenditures.
• All Political Parties will be expected to publish independently audited accounts every year or risk being de-registered.
• Free broadcasting airtime will be provided to political parties to help reduce cost of financing campaigns.
• Empowering INEC to ensure strict adherence to the spending limits for political parties and candidates as stated in the electoral act 2010.

 4. Anti-corruption agencies

• Help guarantee independence of key anti-corruption agencies they will be allowed to retain a percentage of the proceeds of crime to boost their funding and incentivise asset recovery.

5. Empowering citizens in the fight against corruption

• Enforce the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act and take action

6. Presidential Powers

• Presidential pardons will no longer be granted to people convicted of corruption charges.

These are my reflections on what a substantial manifesto for tackling corruption should include. I hope the APC will do some further work on their own draft and that PDP will also consider a comprehensive response as they put together their own. I urge Nigeria’s leaders not to miss the opportunity to make this a key election issue. 2015 needs to be about clear policies not personalities and empty words.