Nigerians have been urged to uphold integrity and ethical standards that would promote and engender peace, development and progress in country.
Speaking during workshop session with women groups, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Commission (ICPC), the Police and other anti-corruption agencies, organised by Kebetkache Women Development And Resource Centre in Port Harcourt, the Executive Director, Madam Emem Okon stated that her organisation, was committed to the fight against corruption as they affect women accessing social services accountability and transparency in order to address issues of corruption as they affect women assessing social services.
“We started last year creating awareness on open governance partnership, creating awareness about budget monitoring the need to promote accountability and transparency, but as a women right organization, we focused on promoting accountability and transparency in order to address issues of corruption as they affect women assessing social services.
“So this year we have decided to also work with the anti-corruption agencies to say what are they doing, how can CSOs and community members work with them to promote accountability and transparency and also to build integrity not only among public officers, but also us the citizens because if we have integrity and we are able to uphold it then we will be able to hold office holders or duty bearers accountable, so that is the essence of the meeting,” Okon added.
She emphasized that in order to put an end to the high level of corruption in Nigeria, every citizen needs to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner worthy of emulation and commendation.
She also stressed on the need for people occupying public offices to know that if they take the wrong actions that they stand the risk of been exposed and would be made to serve the penalty.
In her response she said it is only women that suffers corruption and social services in the society, she said: “Of course we know that it is not only women that requires social services: such as quality education, functional health facilities, access to clean drinking water, every community member requires that, but how corruption within the system is stopping people from accessing those social services is what our project is all about.”
She expressed optimism that corruption would be nipped in the bud if every body addresses it.
“There is no way we can achieve good governance without addressing issues of corruption and to begin to address that issue of corruption, we should begin with ourselves, local content and then the larger societal scenario.”
“So people need to be encouraged that it is good to have integrity, it is good to be ethical in your profession, I want to charge participants to take the message home that there is hope as there are institutions that are still upholding integrity.”
She called on both leaders and citizens of Nigeria to have a change of attitude, in their actions and inaction, adding that their actions should be able to build good governance and better society and not to mar it.
“I am not only calling on leaders, but on every citizen, because people takes bribe, because somebody gives bribe, so am calling on everybody to change attitude, mindset, behavior, so that we can have good governance. If we don’t have good governance, we cannot have those services that makes life meaningful.
The Tide reports that the theme of the workkshop is Gender and Accountability: Promoting Ethices and Integrity.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana