Innovative Approaches in Combating Corruption

An Examination of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units in MDA (S) in Nigeria

Abstract

The fight against corruption has proven to be very expensive and preventing it is cheaper and more effective. The setting up of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit in the various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government in Nigeria is a response to the call for new and better ways of combating corruption in public service. Corruption as practiced in MDAs in Nigeria is a complex web and it will take an insider who understands the weaknesses inherent in the system that allows such corrupt practices to fester to be able to identify such weaknesses and review the system or otherwise carry out investigations that will expose corrupt persons. This work interrogates the effectiveness of this Unit and posits that though the initiative has great potentials in combating corruption in MDAs, the present procedure for the composition and funding of the Unit presents conditions that suffocate these potentials and will ultimately kill the initiative. The work recommends true independence of the Units from their parent MDAs in terms of security of their appointments as public officers and in funding of the Units as the way out of the present quagmire the Unit is in.