The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, Ekpo Nta, has blamed the massive neglect leading to poverty in Nigeria to the nonchalant attitude of many Nigerians on how public funds are spent by government officials.
Nta admonished the youths on the unholy ways they were using the social media, describing it as a “total disgrace.”
Nta made these comments at the weekend when he received the National Co-ordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, Emmanuel Onwubiko, at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja.
He reminded Nigerians that they had every right at any point in time to demand accountability from their leaders.
He tasked them: “Let me give you a challenge.
“Take one local government and follow the appropriation that is released to them from the Federal Allocation, internally generated revenue and the budget that will be approved by the legislature house of the local government and monitor it publicly and publish.”
Nta said this action alone would further the cause of the anti-graft crusade in the country.
The ICPC chairman expressed his displeasure at the way Nigerian youths were using the social media on mundane things.
He declared: “The kind of ways they express themselves is so appalling that you begin to wonder whether these people are ready for leadership role.
“Social media did not start from Nigeria.
“It started from other parts of the world but the way we are using it here is really appalling.
“Grammatically deficient and the message that is being sent out is unhealthy.
“In all these, nobody is looking at them critically.”
Nta said the youths should be re-educated to understand the role they needed to play by using their talents to take back “their salvation.
“The day the youths will stand up and say we are no longer going to be party thugs to run away with ballot boxes, to do all kind of things as foot soldiers from that day their future is guaranteed.
“The man who brings money and throws at you is actually throwing the good hospitals and good roads away from you.”
Earlier, Onwubiko said that the organization believed that corruption was the foundation of all human rights violation.
He explained that Nigerians are suffering because of endemic corruption in the land and this had made it impossible for over 70 per cent of the rural populace to access quality health care and other social services.
He expressed the determination of the association “to partner with ICPC to ensure that the message of anti-corruption gets to all parts of this country using the popular media of mass communication.”
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