Nigeria: ICPC Accuses Politicians of Frustrating Corruption War

Specifically, the ICPC boss lamented that Nigerian political parties had been promoting culture of lawlessness, corruption, violence and violation of rule of law rather than leading the society in inculcating the culture of obedience to laws and compliance. Baring his mind at the Lead City University, Ibadan while delivering a lecture entitled."Making the Rule of Law Work" on the occasion of the University's 2009 Annual Distinguished Lecture, Justice Ayoola submitted that rule of law is environment-sensitive, and so cannot work where there is no favourable environment allowing a culture of obedience to law, compliance with regulations and rules, and of integrity. The ICPC chairman took a cursory look at the pervasive situation in Nigeria where political parties are seen as promoting a culture of violence and lawlessness in the electoral processes as being witnessed in most of the polls conducted in the country in recent times. He then declared: "A situation where the social norms of a people accept lawlessness, widespread corruption, widespread poverty and widespread impunity, and non-compliance, like buildings erected on sand are likely to founder, so our political parties may founder. The state is therefore in danger of foundering with them, thus setting a destructive pattern of human behaviour that renders impotent whatever the rule of law may be seen to stand for". He however advocated public confidence in organs of government and their institutions saying this is the only way to make the rule of law to work. He also stressed the need for participatory governance that recognizes citizen's right to information and right to know, "both of which are lacking in Nigeria today." "Every public organization must not only be accessible to the public but must have rules that entitle the citizen to know reasons for decision taken that affect him and also ensure that the public is also sufficiently aware of their existence, functions and procedures", the ICPC boss said.

Allafrica.com