Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The Catholic Bishop of Kano Diocese, Most Reverend John Nemaza Niyiring, has sought for greater independence for agencies fighting corruption in Nigeria, if the anticorruption crusade of the Buhari administration is to succeed.
Speaking to Daily Sun at a workshop on youth against corruption, the Bishop stressed that bodies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) ought to be truly detached from whoever heads the government of the day.
The workshop was held at Aminu Kano Center for Democratic Research and Training, Mambbiyya House, Bayero University, Kano.
Niyiring regretted that, oftentimes, agencies fighting corruption tend to do the bidding of whoever is in power at a particular time.
“When it was the PDP, a long time ago, it was quite easy to see these agencies going after the opponents of the government in power and now that we have a different government, you see that the anticorruption bodies would go after people that are seemingly seen as the opposition” he stated.
“Unless and until these agencies have much independence to be able to act independently, and have their own money that would enable them undertake their work, we many not be able to move as fast as we expect,” he declared.
Speaking on why some people indulge in corruption, the Bishop observed that corruption, at the individual or group level, is driven by selfishness, adding that “there is so much selfishness in the individuals as well as in groups that make it difficult for them to rid themselves of corruption.”
He added that “there is an element of pleasure in corruption. And, as it is with all things that have pleasure, it is very difficult to get rid of.”