Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive weak – UNCAC Coalition

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) has faulted Nigeria’s progress in establishing anti-corruption laws and policies, describing it as weak when juxtaposed with UNCAC Chapters II (Preventive Measures) and V (Asset Recovery).

UNCAC came to the conclusion following a report authored by the Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI), which shows that Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies lack independence, adding that there is no comprehensive whistleblowing legislation.

In a new civil society report, UNCAC lamented that the public sector employment in Nigeria is plagued by corruption, nepotism, and political interference. The organisation said the plague hinders the implementation of public service rules which empowers the Federal Civil Service Commission to appoint, promote and discipline public officials.

UNCAC highlighted Nigeria’s implemention of the National Strategy on Public Service Reforms and the Service Compact with All Nigerians (SERVICOM) but lamented the lack of information on the effectiveness of the implementation.

It faulted the Code of Conduct Bureau for not making declared public officer assets publicly accessible, hindering verification by civil society organisations and the general public.

It said despite the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, investigative journalists and CSOs face significant obstacles in accessing information, adding that there is also poor proactive disclosure of information by MDAs to the public.

“Further, investigative journalists face significant barriers in accessing information due to legal constraints, such as the Official Secrets Act and limitations imposed under the guise of national security,” UNCAC said.

It said the Federal Character Commission also reports poorly on implementing the Federal Character principle, and there is a lack of effective monitoring and enforcement mechanisms of the public service rules and relevant codes of conduct for public officials.

In its comment on the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, UNCAC said despite the robustness of the legal framework on electoral financing, a year after the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and most political parties are yet to make their election expenses public as mandated by the law. The organisation knocked INEC for hesitating to take decisive action against parties that have failed to comply with the Act’s financial disclosure requirements.

Giving recommendations for Nigeria to imbibe in its anti-corruption fight, UNCAC called for enhanced independence of anti-corruption bodies to ensure effective enforcement of anti-corruption laws in Nigeria.

It urged political parties to comply with political financing regulations to ensure transparency and accountability in electoral financing.

UNCAC advised Nigeria to ensure the implementation of a comprehensive whistle-blower protection framework into law and strengthen existing reporting mechanisms for corrupt activities.

It called for a reform of the judiciary which it says is plagued by significant delays, with cases often taking years to resolve.

“The backlog is caused by procedural bottlenecks, such as frequent adjournments and jurisdictional challenges, leading many to seek informal justice systems or self-help,” UNCAC said.