Di Attorney-General of di Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), don warn say Nigeria fight against corruption must never dey politicised. He say di anti-graft work must remain rooted for rule of law, due process, respect for human rights and independence of institutions.
Fagbemi speak for di 2026 commemoration of African Union Anti-Corruption Day for Abuja on Friday. He say di objective of di anti-corruption campaign must extend beyond prosecuting offenders to building resilient institutions wey fit prevent corruption before e happun.
Di Minister wey Mrs Gladys Adegbaro represent say dis year theme, “Scaling Up di Promotion of Integrity and Anti-Corruption Actions Across Africa,” show di need for stronger institutions, deeper collaboration and greater political commitment to tackle sophisticated corruption across di continent.
He describe corruption as not only legal and governance challenge but also major obstacle to development. E note say corruption dey deprive governments of resources wey dem need for infrastructure, healthcare, education, food security and social protection, while e dey weaken democratic institutions, fuel insecurity, discourage investment and erode public trust.
According to am, integrity remain di foundation of good governance and public confidence. He add say di Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu dey implement reforms wey aim to strengthen public institutions, improve transparency, enhance fiscal accountability and reinforce administration of justice.
Fagbemi say di Federal Ministry of Justice don continue to provide di legal and policy framework wey dey required to support di reforms and ensure say justice dey administered fairly and without fear or favour.
He explain say Nigeria anti-corruption strategy dey place equal emphasis on prevention and enforcement through stronger legal frameworks, improved collaboration among anti-graft agencies, modernisation of criminal justice system and greater deployment of technology to reduce opportunities for corruption for public service delivery.
Di Minister also identify asset recovery as key pillar of di country anti-corruption policy. He say Nigeria dey strengthen cooperation with domestic institutions and international partners on asset tracing, confiscation, recovery and repatriation.
“We firmly believe say stolen public assets belong to di people and dem suppose recover and deploy dem transparently for projects and programmes wey directly improve citizens welfare,” he say.
Fagbemi stress say international cooperation remain indispensable for combating illicit financial flows, money laundering and transnational organised crime. He urge African countries to deepen mutual legal assistance, intelligence sharing, joint investigations and institutional cooperation.
He reaffirm Nigeria commitment to di African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and oda international anti-corruption instruments. He pledge continued collaboration with oda African countries to strengthen regional institutions against emerging corruption risks.
He also call on private sector to uphold high standards of corporate governance and ethical business conduct. He urge civil society organisations, media and educational institutions to play greater roles for promoting transparency, accountability and culture of integrity among young Africans.
For her welcome remarks, di Head of Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR), Mrs Jane Onwumere, say dis year theme dey underscore di central role of integrity for di fight against corruption.
“E dey remind us say dis responsibility extend beyond governments and anti-corruption agencies and dey call for active participation of all stakeholders. More importantly, e dey challenge us to move beyond policies and institutions by embedding integrity for di everyday decisions and actions wey dey shape our institutions, communities and society.
“Scaling up integrity and anti-corruption efforts require moving beyond commitments to building transparent, accountable and effective systems. E demand strong institutions, robust accountability, empowered citizens and sustained multi-stakeholder collaboration,” Onwumere say.
Also speaking, di Executive Secretary of Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Hon. Musa Adar, call for support as Nigeria begin di 2026 validation exercise by di global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). He say successful outcome for di validation exercise go strengthen investor confidence and help sustain inflow of foreign investments into di country.
Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Oda Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu, say di urgency of dis year theme dey reinforced by recent evidence. “Di 2025 study wey Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre (CAACC) conduct across fourteen Commonwealth African countries, involving 2,422 respondents, find say 80 per cent of respondents believe corruption dey happun always or often, while 48 per cent observe say corruption increase over di twelve months preceding di study.
“Significantly, lack of integrity be identified as di second leading driver of corruption for di region, wey 43 per cent of respondents cite. Dis findings dey remind us say promoting integrity no be just aspirational; e be evidence-based imperative,” he say.
