By Ayobami Ayorinde and Uchechukwu Eze | Last week’s policy conversation on ‘The State of Anticorruption Policy and Practice in Nigeria’ brought together an inter-generational and diverse audience of over 150 participants from various sectors, including public service, civil society, diplomatic and development institutions, youth groups and schools.

The event, held on 10^th December 2024 at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, was organised by Agora Policy in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CFTPI), with support from the MacArthur Foundation. Panellists, participants, and stakeholders discussed strategies for strengthening and keeping the anticorruption campaign on track. Here are six key takeaways from the conversation.

Reforming Nigeria's Political Environment is Crucial in Fighting Corruption

Nigeria’s political landscape is marred by ethical lapses and compromised morals which enable corruption, according to the keynote speaker at the event, Professor Adele Jinadu. He stated that regardless of how laws are structured, individuals will continue to break them if it serves their interest, and without the incorporation of character and integrity into the political sphere, Nigeria will remain in a state of stagnation. While he commended the campaign against corruption, he mentioned that it is important to cultivate individuals who possess an intrinsic moral compass to discern right from wrong.

On her part, Dr. Leena Hoffman, Associate Fellow of Chatham House, acknowledged that “on the legal front, there are robust laws and accountability tools in fighting corruption, but in terms of horizontal accountability, answerability and enforcement of these tools, there's a huge gap in this regard”. She highlighted that when legal norms and frameworks are misaligned with societal norms, enforcement becomes ineffective, and to address this deficiency, there must be better alignment between people's perceptions of behaviour and their expectations of compliance with the law.

Similarly, the DG of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu reiterated that policies should focus on dismantling the incentives and motivations that foster corruption, and tackling more fundamental issues such as healthcare and education.

An All-of-Society Approach is Needed

One of the key highlights during the conversation was the need for a holistic and inclusive approach to combating corruption. According to Dr Kole Shettima, the Africa Director of MacArthur Foundation, “Corruption affects everyone, stripping the nation of good roads, clean water, quality education, and healthcare”. He stated that civil society, community leaders, and faith-based organisations should join forces to promote transparency and demand accountability across all sectors for the sake of the future of the younger ones. In the same vein, Mrs. Adejoke Liman, Director of Policy and Research at the EFCC (who stood in for the EFCC Chairman) also noted that with the cooperation and collaboration of all stakeholders, both nationally and internationally, Nigeria has the potential to address the issue of corruption effectively.

Nigeria’s Anticorruption Drive Should Start from the Youths

In alignment with the 2024 International Day of Anticorruption themed “Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity”, many participants noted that Nigeria's anti-corruption efforts should focus on educating and shaping the values of young people. According to Mrs. Feranmi Iyanda, Director of Programmes at Step Up Nigeria, 60% of Nigerians are under the age of 25, and globally, the youth population is over 1 billion. She pointed that sidelining this demographic group in anti-corruption initiatives means neglecting a critical majority, which undermines the overall impact of such efforts. Mrs. Iyanda expressed the importance of instilling integrity and reshaping narratives around corruption from as early as five or six years old. By doing so, young Nigerians can be guided away from accepting corrupt practices as the norm. She further stressed that unless this change begins early, the country risks raising a new generation of leaders who perpetuate the same challenges seen today.

This point was also underscored by Dr. Kole Shettima who added that the 2024 anti-corruption day theme resonates strongly with the initiatives undertaken by the MacArthur Foundation, especially in fostering robust relationships with youth and children as part of their behavioural change efforts aimed at early intervention.

More Efforts Required at the Sub-national Level

There was a consensus that the fight against corruption in Nigeria is overly centralised at the national level while the sub-national level is often overlooked. According to Mr. Muhuyi Magaji, Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, this centralisation has led to conflicts, such as recent court cases against some agencies, as a few government officials at the state level think that the anti-corruption drive is selectively targeted at them. Mr. Magaji acknowledged that the lack of state-level anti-corruption agencies represents a critical gap in the fight against corruption as he believes that if such agencies were established and effectively utilised across all 36 states of the Federation, it would lead to more significant progress in combating corruption nationwide.

In the same vein, Dr. Hoffman explained that while significant strides have been made through legislative frameworks and transparency reforms, the Freedom of Information Act has not been fully operationalised particularly at the subnational level.

Outsiders Can Provide Support, But Nigerians Must Take the Lead

In his goodwill message, Dr. Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, noted the collaboration of agencies of the UK government with Nigerian institutions such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and Nigeria's Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to combat corruption and track illicit financial flows into the country. He also reaffirmed UK’s commitment to supporting these agencies by focusing on capacity building, aligning standards, and ensuring compliance with mutual legal assistance requirements. He however emphasised that while the UK and other countries can provide important support, Nigerians must take the lead. He submitted that meaningful change must originate from Nigerian advocates, leaders, and institutions, while reaffirming his country’s commitment to supporting those who possess the bravery and determination to confront the challenges of corruption in Nigeria.

Technology Needs to be Leveraged More for Anticorruption

Several discussants highlighted the need for the adoption of technology in addressing corruption in the country. Dr. Abdullahi Bello, Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), noted that his agency plans to tackle corruption by leveraging technology, including satellite imagery to verify existence of assets declared by public officials. Similarly, Dr. Chido Onumah, Board Chair of the Whistleblowing International Network, underscored the importance of using technology to protect whistleblowers while encouraging them to expose wrongdoings. He said: “there are secure ways to report infractions anonymously and bring such to the to the attention of relevant authorities”.