Asaba – As Traditional Rulers and Religious leaders Brainstorm on issues bordering on ways to curb corruption in Nigeria, The Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’oba N’edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare ll, decried the connivance of some traditional leaders with young men in fraudulent and other corrupt activities in the Country.
Oba Ewuare 11, in his presentation titled ” The Role of Traditional Institutions in Addressing Social Norms and Behaviours That Promote Corruption “, delivered in Asaba, Delta State, tasked traditional institutions to emulate the Benin kingdom method of tackling the corruption associated with land deals which is now history in the kingdom.
The Oba who spoke via Chief Raphael Oronsaye, said that traditional leaders should be a role model in the society and not otherwise.
According to him, the family is important in the fight against corruption, adding that most families head accommodate corrupt practices and the spiral effect of it is that it grows from there to the society, after all.
The monarch therefore called on traditional leaders to live up to their responsibilities and join hands to fight corruption to a stand still.
Reverend David Ugolor, Executive Director of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), the organiser of the workshop said at the occation that there is persistence of corruption in Nigeria despite the establishment of various anti-graft agencies, and solicited for a new thinking where anti-corruption work should tend towards targeting a change in social norms.
He expressed the belief that it would increase citizens participation in the fight against corruption.
Ugolor maintained that religious and traditional institutions have a big role to play in using behavioural change approach to tackle corruption because they have a wide reach and millions of people listen to them and obey their instructions and commands. Hear him “If these roles are properly identified and acted upon alongside existing approach, I can assure you that corruption will be a thing of the past i n Nigeria.
The workshop was held as part of the implementation of the Monitoring of Recovered Assets in Nigeria through Transparency and Accountability (MANTRA) project which ANEEJ is implementing with support from UKAID under the Anti-Corruption in Nigeria (ACORN) programme.
Some religious leaders from the Christian and Muslim faiths and traditional leaders, who spoke at the workshop also condemned the spate of corruption among Nigerian leaders including religious leaders.
