Tame graft to achieve Agenda 2063, Bawa charges African leaders

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has charged African leaders to frontally confront corruption if the continent must achieve good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and rule of law as encapsulated in its Agenda 2063.

He gave the advice in his submission to the virtual meeting of the fifth African Union Day of Anti-Corruption with the theme: “Regional economic communities: Critical actors in the implementation of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC).”

According to him, graft presents a major threat to actualisation of the laudable vision.

Represented by the commission’s Director of Intelligence, Abubakar Saád, the EFCC boss observed that the menace was also a clog in the wheel of a united and prosperous Africa.

“It (corruption) has drastically increased the prevalence of poverty and inequality on our continent. Our continent continues to suffer from rampant debilitating capital flight and illicit financial flows, accompanied by a consistent decline in the standard of living and quality of life of our people,” he explained.

Bawa acknowledged that the adoption and the subsequent operationalisation in 2006 of the AUCPCC, signed in Maputo, Mozambique, on July 11, 2003, had brought about remarkable progress in the fight against the malaise.

“It has also provided a fulcrum for Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to synergise anti-corruption efforts undertaken by National Anti-Corruption Authorities (NACAs) and measure the impact of prescribed interventions,” he added.

Speaking on the topic: “Effective implementation of the AUCPCC by RECs and NACAs in combatting corruption and achieving African Agenda 2063,” Chief of Staff (CoS) to the EFCC chair, Hajia Hadiza Gamawa, stressed that graft undermines accountability and transparency in the management of public affairs, as well as the socio-economic development of the second-largest continent in the world.

She urged the RECs to domesticate and institutionalise AUCPCC implementation review for objective assessment.

The CoS also recommended full execution of the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC) strategic plan, which comprehensively outlined the implementation process with measurement, evaluation and result indicators.

The measure, she noted, would ensure member-states synchronise the anti-corruption activities of their NACAs as a cohesive entity within their sub-region (RECs) and within the African Union.

“We, therefore, urge the RECs and NACAs to recommit to the implementation of the AUCPCC now more than ever, as we seek to build an Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and rule of law. For the African Agenda, 2063 is unachievable without combating corruption.”

Other speakers included Director, Asset Tracing, Recovery and Management, ICPC, Adedayo Kayode, who spoke on The role of stakeholders in combating IFFS for effective implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACfTA) Agreement and the Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, that made a presentation on “Encouraging a culture of corporate transparency, accountability and integrity in multinational corporations.”