The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) on Saturday expressed concern over the high level of corruption in the country.
CNPP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Osita Okechukwu, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Okechukwu who noted that “corruption had eaten deep into the fabrics of the society called for all hands to be on deck to tackle the menace.
“For there to be any meaningful development, corruption has to be tackled first, it is the main problem bedevilling the country.
“When a road contract is awarded, and year in year out you continue to budget for the same contract which is not executed, the outcome of course is corrupt practise.
He said with the excess crude account and the annual budget there was the need to ensure that contractors were paid and that projects completed within the specified period.
Okechukwu noted that “when transparent leadership is enthroned in the country, then Nigeria will advance in all facets.”
He further said that religion and ethnicity were other factors plaguing the country.
“The corrupt officials in Nigeria do not remember religion; if you go through the ring leaders of the pension scam they have all the federal character, so there is no crisis there.
“The impact of that pension scam is that it led to the death of some of the pensioners because they could not get their pension.
“The result also is that it had made those in service to start stealing from government coffers because the scam is a pointer that they might not get anything when they retire,” he said.
Okechukwu, a chieftain of APC and former member Joint Merger Committee of the APC, said that “a government might come up in 2015 which could help the country to tackle corruption”.
“If you go through the APC manifesto, after the preamble the next chapter spells out war against corruption and the need for national orientation, which is what we strive to achieve.
“It is believed that come 2015 general elections a better government will come on board,” he said
He however called for accountability in running the affairs of government at all levels.
