Reform public service to fight corruption — UNDP

The Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, to Nigeria, Lamin Beyai, has said the best way to institutionalise the fight against corruption in the country and make it effective was to reform the public service and make it part of the anti- corruption crusade.
The UNDP Chief stated this in Abuja at the Training of Trainers on Corruption Risk Assessments, CRA, held at the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria, ACAN, the training wing of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, in Keffi, Nasarawa State. Beysi, who was represented by Deputy Country Director, Mr Mandisa Mashologu, noted that the anti-corruption crusade of the government would help reduce incidence of corruption in Nigeria. According to him, the rating of Nigeria by Transparency International as the 136th most corrupt country out of 168 countries in 2015 is lower than the average for sub-Saharan Africa. He said with the tremendous efforts put in place through institutional reforms, enforcements, prosecution, entrenching the culture of integrity and capacity building of staff of anti-corruption agencies to tackle the menace, Nigeria would fare better in subsequent ratings. Earlier in his remarks, the Provost of ACAN, Professor Sola Akinrinade, who declared the training open on behalf of ICPC Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta said the establishment of the academy was in line with the Commission’s determination to fulfil its enlightenment and education functions in systematic and sustainable way to achieve long term impact in the national war against corruption.