I am not corrupt, says Ezekwesili

Nigeria’s former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has dismissed insinuations that all Nigerians, especially those who have held or hold public offices, are corrupt. Using herself as an example, the former Vice President of World Bank’s Africa Division, who was a co-founder of the Berlin-based Transparency International, declared that she was not corrupt.

Ezekwesili said this Thursday in Abuja at the launch of Anti-Corruption Internet Database (ACID), a new initiative in the fight against corruption brought about by West Africa NGO Network (WANGONeT) and funded by Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).

“I was in government. I was not corrupt. I can go anywhere with this statement”, she declared while also refuting that corruption was embedded in the African culture.

While she admitted that the Nigerian society is grossly affected by corruption, Ezekwesili noted that the insinuation that all Nigerians are either corrupt or benefit from acts of corruption is a way by which the corrupt make it seem as if nothing can be done about corruption in the society.

The former minister, in an interactive session with participants at the event, identified reasons why corruption must be done away with.   The reasons include the fact that corruption is a tax on the people and is unsustainable.

She explained that corruption causes a breakdown in rendering basic services to the people.

Participants also pointed out that corruption destroys merit and encourages people to cut corners instead of following due process, besides breeding impunity.

Ezekwesili, therefore, suggested a three-prong approach to solving the problem of corruption, which are massive re-orientation, prevention and introducing consequence for bad behaviour. To prevent corruption, the government will have to reduce opportunities for corruption such as the reform of the critical sectors such as was done in the telecommunications sector.