Women seek support for government in corruption fight

Women have urged Nigerians to unite, in spite of their religious and political affiliations to hold politicians and all public office holders accountable for corruption.

At a two-day capacity building workshop that ended in Abeokuta, Ogun State yesterday, they deplored corruption in all its ramifications and urged all Nigerians to join hands with government to win the war against graft.

The workshop was organised by Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation and Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA).

Executive Director of WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiyode Afolabi, stated that in contemporary societies, corruption is a global phenomenon, which has become a major challenge to economic and political growth of countries where it thrives.She told participants that corruption was killing Nigeria, adding that only the government could not fight the menace, but citizens should support government in the fight, which was why the programme was organised to bring grassroots people into the corruption struggle.

“For instance, in Nigeria, corruption exacerbates and causes conflicts, promotes poverty and impacts negatively on the best use of human and natural resources.

“While accountability is one of the key best practices in people-oriented governance, especially where government activities revolve around service delivery, it is reasonable to consider the process in governance as a threat to development, particularly when it cannot meet the needs of the governed,” Akinyode said.

The participants agreed that the corruption fight must be won and appealed to all Nigerians to join hands to win the war.They also resolved to embark on enlightenment programme to educate the electorate on the dangers of votes buying and charged all Nigerians to avoid selling their votes during the 2019 elections.