Accountability Lab reveals major challenge of national development in Nigeria
The Country Director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, Friday Odeh, has linked the challenges impacting economic and national progress to a deficiency in accountability and integrity.
As a part of his commitment to nurturing integrity within the Nigerian public service arena, the head of Accountability Lab additionally awarded five public officials the Integrity Icons of the Year 2022 accolades.
According to Odeh, who addressed this at the 6th edition of the Integrity Icon Awards recently held in Abuja, a deficit in integrity, which fosters corruption, inequality, and insecurity, remains a significant issue that jeopardizes the stability of the nation.
He asserted that for Nigeria to pursue the path for which it was founded, it needs to establish robust institutions that can operate independently.
He further clarified that Integrity Icon is a national initiative managed by Accountability Lab Nigeria with support from the Ford, MacArthur, and Luminate Foundations. Its aim is to acknowledge and empower principled public servants demonstrating outstanding integrity while executing their responsibilities.
Odeh remarked: “If you observe what is transpiring in electoral campaigns, none of the political contenders has prioritized accountability in their campaign, which poses a significant challenge for us because it indicates we are reverting to the same cycle of accountability deficiency within our community.
“The top five public servants who excel every year are honored. We have witnessed the Director General of a procurement agency in Gombe State, which has increased revenue from approximately N400,000 to N1.2 billion.
“These are the types of motivating narratives we seek because they are beginning to confront corrupt activities occurring in sectors like contracting, which is the foremost corrupt practice in Nigeria across nearly every area.
“However, when individuals like that are engaged in doing the right thing, we can conserve more funds and ensure that quality services are rendered to citizens.”
Yemi Kale, a past statistician general for the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), expressed in his comments: “If integrity guides the selection of individuals placed in various positions, Nigeria will advance, but when incorrect individuals are assigned to incorrect roles, the country will continue to regress.
“I do not believe we have achieved that yet; we still have much to accomplish, but I trust that we have made some strides in specific areas. In other sectors, we have regressed, while in some, we have not progressed at all.
“It depends on what perspective you consider. In general, we would argue that we have moved towards the positive, but it is not to the extent we ought to have advanced by this time.
“Regarding my office, it is apparent to everyone that the office has persistently worked hard to uphold the integrity that we sought to incorporate into the system and to maintain public trust, which is crucial.”
Additionally, Mrs. Mwalin Abdu from the Ministry of Justice in Gombe State, one of the recipients of the Integrity Icon 2022 award, stated that she received the honor through advocacy for gender-based violence.
“Due to my background, I manage numerous cases of sexual and domestic violence.
