A Yola, Adamawa State-based lawyer and anti-corruption activist, Roland Emem, has urged for effective anti-corruption laws to propel the renewed fight against corruption in the country.
Emen made the call in a chat with newsmen in Yola.
He said: “I am of the strong view that with the right anti-corruption laws in Nigeria and properly empowered Nigerians as the victims of corruption, to fight corruption, even the devil will not like to be corrupt in Nigeria.
“Corruption has thrived and may continue to thrive and flourish in Nigeria not necessarily because efforts are not being made to fight corruption, but because our laws have not brought transparency in government business to the level that will discourage corruption.”
Emem said so far, the biggest asset in the fight against corruption in Nigeria has been the personal integrity and will power of the President at any point in time, adding that such should not be the case as “that asset (president) is an asset that ‘expires’ at the end of the tenure of the president”.
The activist had last week sent a draft anti-corruption bill, titled: “The Government Business Bill,” to President Muhammadu Buhari for consideration and transmission to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill, said the bill among others criminalize frustration and breaches of government contracts, as well as variation of contracts, sabotage of government budgets and mismanagement of borrowed fund, which attracted jail term of between five and seven years without option of fine.
He said the bill sought to enthrone better transparency in government business by making it mandatory for every political office holder and civil servant who signs any contract document on behalf of Federal, State or Local Government to deposit such contract documents with the National Library and Ministry of Justice Library in case of federal contracts, while same steps should apply for state and local government contracts.
Emem explained that the bill made provision among others for a “Government Business Register” to be domicile in the affected libraries into which the date and time of deposit of the contract document would be stated as well as summary of the terms of contract, the sum, completion date or duration of the contract.
While noting that something urgently needed to be done to check corruption, the activist claimed that if his proposed bill or an improvised version is enacted into law and enforced, corruption would be reduced drastically “by not less than 80 per cent”.