A former minister of education and co-founder of Transparency International, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili said Nigeria has serious leadership crisis and warned if the fight against corruption is to be won then the present leadership has to turn to ways of setting good examples.
The former minister, before berating the leadership problem of the nation, reacted to the level of insecurity that has gone beyond anything that is tolerable while making reference to the recent blast which took place in Kano on Monday at a motor park.
The former minister who was a guest on Sunrise Daily said the “elders” of the land should put away differences and join heads together to find a lasting solution to the incessant killings by the terrorist group Boko Haram.
Speaking on the level of the fight waged against corruption in the country presently as against what was obtainable while in government as a minister, she responded saying, before any analysis can be done on Nigeria as regards fight against corruption, three major factors (tripods as she called it) have to be put in place as these factors will actually ascertain whether there’s been progress made against the cancer-like corruption and they are: credible leadership, prevention of corruption and deterrence from corruption.
On credible leadership Ezekwesili said Nigeria has serious leadership crisis and if the fight against corruption is to be won then the present leadership has to turn to ways of setting good examples.
On prevention of corruption, Ezekwesili took NEITI as an example standing as an agent used in wielding war against corruption amongst several other agencies created for this purpose and she gave kudos to the Federal Government for the creation of these agencies to prevent corruption but she was quick to ask “if theses agencies really have the powers needed to fight the cancerous corruption? Were they properly empowered to stop corruption?”. Citing NEITI as an example, she explained that the agency would have been able to block the recent scandals that had rocked the oil and gas sector if these agencies were properly empowered.
Watch rest of the interview for more details.
