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SERAP’s Report Predicts Increased Corruption Under Buhari …Says Police Most Corrupt Institution In Nigeria
A report by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has predicted increased corruption in the country in the coming year.
The report, “Nigeria Anti-Corruption Performance Assessment Survey,” was presented to the public yesterday in Lagos.
SERAP said it was based on a survey it conducted across the country’s six geo-political zones between November and December 2018.
The report, it said, captured the views of 2,655 Nigerians in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on government’s anti-corruption fight.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is headlined by the fight against corruption.
However, the respondents, whose views were captured in SERAP’s report, believed that corruption level had remained the same and would increase in spite of government’s anti-corruption crusade.
According to the report, the respondents believed that government’s anti-corruption efforts are “inadequate and unconvincing.”
They also hinged their scepticism on the fact that “elections do not result to a different government,” adding that “most leaders are corrupt and only pursue personal interests.”
The report said, “When asked to project the level of corruption in the coming year, about 41 per cent (of respondents) believed it will either increase or remain the same with about third of the respondents expecting corruption levels to increase.”
SERAP said the outcome of the survey should “trigger reflection among the various anti-corruption bodies in Nigeria.”
The group said, “When juxtaposed against the different institutions established and laws and policies currently being implemented, it raises the critical question whether the (anti-corruption) measures are comprehensive enough, consistent or if there is a need to amplify public participation and communication on anti-corruption efforts.”
SERAP said the public perception of government’s anti-corruption war, as reflected by the report, “is likely to dilute public support needed for successful anti-corruption initiatives.”
The report rated the police as the public institution with the highest rate of bribery, based on the judgement of 829 of the respondents, representing 66.6 per cent.
The power sector, education and the judiciary ranked next after the police on the prevalence of bribery.
SERAP, in the report, noted that “The government ascended to power on the promise of tackling corruption.
Meanwhile, a new public survey released, yesterday, by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has revealed high level of corruption in public institutions in Nigeria for the past five years.
Of the five major public institutions surveyed, the police emerged as the most corrupt, with the power sector identified as the second most corrupt in the country, today.
Other public institutions identified as corrupt by 70 per cent of Nigerians surveyed are: the judiciary, education and health ministries.
The survey reveals that the level of corruption has not changed in the last 5 years.
The latest report by SERAP entitled, “Nigeria: Corruption Perception Survey”, was launched, yesterday, at the Sheraton Hotels, Lagos.
According to the survey, “a bribe is paid in 54 per cent of interactions with the police. In fact, there is a 63 per cent probability that an average Nigerian would be asked to pay a bribe each time he or she interacted with the police. That is almost two out of three.”
The Chair of the report launch, Prof Akin Oyebode said: “Nigeria is looked upon as a giant of Africa. Yet, Nigeria could not conduct free, fair and credible elections. It is a smear on the image of Nigeria. If we do away with selective enforcement and condonation of corruption, we will build and live in a better society. Corruption is a refined form of stealing. The politicians are stealing our common patrimony. Development of the people is almost inversely proportional to the level of corruption.”
The report read in part: “Corruption remains a significant impediment to law enforcement, access to justice and basic public services such as affordable healthcare, education, and electricity supply. Several Nigerians have to pay a bribe to access police, judiciary, power, education and health services. Corruption is still a key concern in the country with 70% of Nigerians describing the level of corruption as high and in the same measure, stating that corruption levels either increased or remained the same in the last five years.
“The national survey carried out between September and December, 2018, covered the police, judiciary, power, education and health sectors to assess the state of corruption in law enforcement and public service provision.”
“From the analysis of the anti-corruption legal and institutional framework in Nigeria, the following cross-cutting issues emerged: there is lack of political goodwill to consistently enforce the different anti-corruption laws; inadequate funding for the various anti-corruption agencies; weak public support and/or ownership of anti-corruption initiatives; poor clarity of roles between various anti-corruption agencies; and public perceptions of politicisation of corruption arrests and prosecutions.
“Bribery experiences were interrogated and recorded in the key sectors of education, health, the police, judiciary and power. Data analysis was conducted under five different and interrelated variables. There was a 63 per cent probability that an average Nigerian would be asked to pay a bribe each time he/she interacted with the police. The likelihood of bribery in the power sector stood at 49 per cent. With the chances of encountering bribery at the judiciary, education and health services standing at 27 per cent, 25 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively.
“The police were the most adversely ranked on this indicator. For every 100 police interactions reported by the respondents, there was a bribe paid in 54 interactions. The prevalence levels stood at 37 per cent in the power sector and 18 per cent in education, 17.7 per cent in the judiciary and 14 per cent in the health sector.”
According to the report, “51 per cent of the individuals that paid bribes to the police and 35 per cent to the power sector believed this was the only way to access the services sought from the institutions. The ranking of the education sector and the judiciary was less adverse with 16 per cent perceiving bribery as the main avenue of accessing services in the institutions, and health services recording 13 per cent.
“The police and judiciary had the largest proportion of total bribes paid at 33 per cent and 31 per cent respectively. Bribes paid for education, power and health services accounted for 19 per cent, 10.9 and 5 per cent, respectively of all bribes reported. The average amount of bribe paid by the respondents was highest among those who paid to the judiciary at about N108,000 ($298). All the other institutions ranked lower on this variable with N12,253 and N11,566 reportedly paid to the police and education sectors, and N6,462 and N5,143 paid for health and power services, respectively.
“Perceptions on corruption trends in Nigeria show almost 70 per cent of the respondents perceived the current level of corruption as high compared to 15.5 per cent that felt it was low. 70 per cent of the respondents said corruption levels either increased or remained the same in the last five years. Only a quarter of the respondents felt corruption reduced in this period.
“About 41 per cent of the respondents projected that corruption will either increase or remain the same in the next year. About a third of the respondents (31.5 per cent) believed the ruling elite are pursuing their selfish interests only therefore corruption levels will increase into the future.
“Additionally, about a quarter of the respondents (24.9 per cent) believed the current anti-corruption efforts are not comprehensive enough. The poor state of the economy was also seen as a driving factor to increased corruption at 17.2 per cent.
“Respondents identified poor coordination among the different state players as a key obstacle at 18.4 per cent. Lack of political will from the government and weak public support were ranked second at 12 per cent. Civic action against poor governance: 54.8 per cent of the respondents reported that they had not taken any action against poor governance. That more than a half of the respondents were unwilling to initiate action is alarming and points to low confidence levels that appropriate measures would be taken even if the respondents took action.
“This assumption is buttressed by the finding that 82 per cent of the actions taken were either not responded to or deemed sufficiently appropriate. Low civic action may also indicate low levels of public awareness on what redress mechanisms exist or how to access them.
“The Federal government should establish an independent commission of inquiry to conduct a transparent, comprehensive, and impartial investigation into systemic corruption within the Nigeria Police Force, judiciary, and the ministries of power, education and health.
“The Inspector General of Police should receive and investigate complaints of bribery and corruption against police officers filed by members of the public. The police should liaise with community leaders and civil society organisations in regard to incidents of police bribery and corruption within the community.
“The Chief Justice of Nigeria and the National Judicial Council should identify and review all outstanding cases of judicial corruption and refer such cases to appropriate anti-corruption agencies. They should apply the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers in a consistent and transparent manner, with full respect for the fundamental guarantees of fair trial and due process.
“The Chief Justice of Nigeria and the NJC should publish annual reports of all activities involving the judiciary, including expenditure, and provide the public with reliable information about its governance and organisation, including the number of judges found to be corrupt, as well as ensure that the Chief Justice of Nigeria and all other judges make periodic asset disclosures.
“The National Assembly should move swiftly to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act to ensure public access to asset declarations made by public officials, and urgently pass the Proceeds of Crime Bill, the Whistleblowers Bill, and the Witness Protection Bill among other relevant pieces of legislation.
“The National Assembly should immediately publish all reports of investigations on corruption and corruption-related matters in the judiciary, education, power and health sectors among others that have been conducted by the National Assembly since the return of democracy in 1999.
“A positive legacy by the in-coming administration on May 29, 2019 and the recently appointed Inspector General of Police will mean improving accountability of the police, and proactively working to end all forms of corruption within the rank and file of the police. The Inspector General of Police should streamline and prioritise internal control mechanisms by establishing an Ethics and Integrity Unit at each police station. The unit should include a human rights officer, an anti-corruption officer, and an officer responsible for service delivery complaints.
The Federal Government says it has invested more than N10tn in Nigeria’s electricity sector since its privatisation in 2013, but the intervention has yet to deliver the reliable power supply expected from the reform.
The Managing Director of FGN Power Company Limited, Kenny Anuwe, disclosed this yesterday at the sixth annual conference of the Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria, in Abuja.
The conference afforded stakeholders to examine the country’s roadmap to reliable and affordable electricity under the Federal Government’s ambition to grow the economy to $1tn by 2030.
Anuwe said the huge government spending has kept the industry afloat but stressed that public funding alone could not address the country’s electricity challenges, calling for increased private sector participation and alternative financing models to accelerate infrastructure development.
The conference was themed, “$1trn Economy: Nigeria’s Roadmap to Reliable and Affordable Power Supply.”
The disclosure raises fresh questions about the outcome of the 2013 power sector privatisation, which transferred the country’s 11 distribution companies and six generation companies to private investors, while the Federal Government retained ownership of the transmission network.
Despite successive government interventions, electricity supply has remained unstable, with inadequate generation, gas shortages, weak transmission and distribution infrastructure, mounting sector debts and poor investment continuing to undermine the industry.
Anuwe acknowledged that government funding had been significant but insufficient to meet the sector’s ambitions.
“Government has invested over N10tn in the electricity sector since the advent of privatisation. But is it enough? How much money is enough? If government didn’t invest that money, the industry would not be standing today.
“No matter how you look at it, no matter how critical you are about what government’s role is, if government did not put that money in, the industry would not be standing,” he said.
He, however, described the continued dependence on government funding as unsustainable, noting that the Federal Government was responsible for more than 95 per cent of new infrastructure investment in the sector.
“That’s not why we privatised. We have all kinds of excuses why that has happened. And a lot of them are legitimate. But it’s time for us to move from excuses to saying how do we fix it. It does not need the government to do everything. I believe that government cannot do everything,” Anuwe said.
He said the country needed simpler investment structures, predictable regulations, clear institutional responsibilities and commercially viable projects to attract private capital.
According to him, the FGN Power Company is targeting an investment structure that could attract 1bn, with the Africa Finance Corporation expected to match the amount.
He disclosed that the company’s ongoing Presidential Power Initiative projects were expected to deliver additional transmission capacity, with a target of 5,540 megawatts by 2029 and at least 60 per cent improvement in grid reliability.
The projects include a second batch of 12 Siemens substations and special projects involving Omotosho substations, which are expected to cumulatively deliver nearly 3,400MW.
Anuwe said most of the ongoing first-phase transmission substation and line projects were now expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027, following delays.
He added that the company had secured financing for its pilot phase and was working with international technical and financial partners, including Siemens Energy, China Machinery Engineering Corporation and TBEA.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, in his address, said the Federal Government had also developed a four-pronged roadmap to address the sector’s challenges through grid stabilisation, sector liquidity and sustainability, asset optimisation and expansion and enhancement of the national grid.
He said the government had raised N1.23tn under its N3.3tn plan to settle verified legacy debts owed to electricity generation companies.
According to him, more than 2.8 million electricity customers have been metered under the Presidential Metering Initiative, while additional transmission capacity exceeding 15,000 megavolt-amperes had been added to the national grid between 2023 and October 2026.
“Let me inform this gathering that we have developed a four-pronged roadmap to address
the power sector challenges comprehensively. These are Grid Stabilisation, Sector Liquidity
and Sustainability, Asset Optimisation, and Expansion and Enhancement of the grid. Central
to this plan is a corridor approach that prioritises major load centres for reliable, round-
the-clock electricity supply.
“A technical audit has been commissioned to establish a robust diagnostic baseline, identify critical constraints and guide the prioritisation, sequencing and
execution of interventions. The corridor approach gives this roadmap a practical industrial focus.
“In the past two months alone, I have commissioned newly installed substation equipment across Kumbotoso, Dankata, Mashi, Dan-Agundi, Apapa, Ijora, Ikeja, Biliri, Walalambe and other locations, adding over 1,300MVA to Nigeria’s transmission capacity. This has unlocked more power to the respective Distribution Companies for onward distribution to industrial and household customers,” Tegbe said.
He added that the government was adopting a corridor-based approach to improve electricity supply in major economic centres, beginning with the Lagos-Ogun axis and Abuja franchise area, which together account for more than 50 per cent of national electricity demand.
The minister said the proposed 24-hour electricity zones would align generation, transmission and distribution capacity with demand in industrial clusters, subject to technical readiness and commercial viability.
He also identified vandalism as a major threat to electricity infrastructure, disclosing that President Bola Tinubu had approved a coordinated anti-vandalism campaign involving security agencies.
Earlier, the Chairman of PCAN, Obas Esiedesa, said reliable and affordable electricity was indispensable to the country’s ambition of building a $1tn economy by 2030.
He urged stakeholders to move beyond identifying the industry’s problems and focus on practical solutions, particularly investment, infrastructure development and sustainable financing.
News
Fubara: Why We Engage Only Qualified Engineers, Indigenous Contractors On Projects …As Governor Bags NATE Platinum Award, Inducted Into Highest Membership Cadre
Governor Fubara stated this yesterday while declaring open the 42nd Conference of Technologists in Engineering ( CONFOTECH) and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering, (NATE), in Port Harcourt.
The conference saw the association conferring its Platinum Award on Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his induction into the highest membership cadre of NATE in recognition of his massive infrastructural development across Rivers State.
Governor Fubara, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Sunny Ewule, expressed the readiness of his administration to the continued partnership and support for professional associations in promoting professionalism, building capacity and driving technological advancement.
He thanked the leadership and the entire membership of NATE for finding him worthy of their most prestigious award and honour, the NATE Platinum Award, and the accompanying induction into the highest membership cadre of the association.
“I consider this award not as a personal achievement but as a recognition of the collective effort of my administration and the good people of Rivers State in the area of infrastructure development and the deployment of engineering and technological solutions to advance the socio-economic development of the state, he said.
Governor Fubara noted that the theme of the conference: Safety, Regulation and Enforcement in Engineering: A Panacea to Industrial and Technological Growth in Nigeria, could not be more timely and relevant.
According to Fubara, no meaningful industrial growth can take place without safety, strong regulation, and enforcement, adding that it is for that reason that his administration has continued to insist on standard, quality delivery, and the engagement of qualified engineers, technologists and indigenous contractors in road construction, housing and other major developments across the state.
In his welcome address, the National President of the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE), Engr. Dominic Udoatan, said the conference underscores a fundamental truth that safety, effective regulation and strict enforcement are indispensable to sustainable industrial and technological growth.
He urged government, regulatory bodies, employers and professional associations to work together to ensure competence, accountability and the protection of lives and property, while expressing the association’s sincere appreciation to Governor Fubara’s administration for its recognition of the importance of infrastructure, technical competence and technological advancement.
The IGP gave the directive during a strategic meeting with senior police officers, including Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, Assistant Inspectors- General of Police and Commissioners of Police, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, last Wednesday.
He told the officers across the country to maintain regular interactions with journalists as part of efforts to tackle misinformation and fake news ahead of the elections.
He said sustained engagement with the media would strengthen public communication, promote transparency and help curb the spread of misleading information capable of undermining public confidence in the electoral process.
Disu assured that the Nigeria Police Force would not allow itself to be used by politicians or political parties, saying the Force remains committed to providing a level playing field for all participants in the electoral process.
“We will remain neutral, ensure the safety and security of the electorate before, during and after the election,” he said.
The Police Chief warned that any police officer found participating in partisan politics would face appropriate disciplinary and legal consequences.
On the protection of citizens’ rights, the IGP charged Commissioners of Police to ensure that all reported cases of human rights violations are properly documented, investigated and resolved within a reasonable period.
He also directed police commands and zones across the country to establish accessible and visible Complaints Response Units to enable members of the public report alleged abuses and obtain appropriate redress.
Disu emphasized the need to improve the welfare of police personnel, directing Commissioners of Police to ensure prompt payment of death benefits to families of fallen officers and personally visit such families to demonstrate the Force’s support and solidarity.
He highlighted some of the achievements recorded by the Force but maintained that more efforts were required to address prevailing security challenges, particularly banditry in parts of the country.
He also cautioned Commissioners of Police against travelling outside their respective states without obtaining express approval from his office.
The IGP thanked President Bola Tinubu for his continued support and commitment to strengthening the capacity of the police to combat crime and maintain national security.
King Onunwor
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