Former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and Bishop Mathew Kukah, founder of The Kukah Centre (TKC), have attributed political corruption in Nigeria to weak institutions and dishonest actions by poor Nigerians and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), rather than politicians.
This was stated during a high-level meeting with national executives of political parties and other stakeholders on Tuesday in Abuja, organized by TKC.
Ganduje, currently embroiled in a corruption case in Kano, emphasized the need to address the systemic issues within Nigeria’s institutions.
He stated, “The major problem we have in Nigeria is that of weak institutions because we are just going on an atrocious circle. Unless we break that circle and make our institutions strong, we are just blaming the politicians. Political parties are also weak and because of that weakness, corruption thrives.”
“Let us not be blaming the politicians, officeholders, those who win elections. Yes, we blame them but let us look at the security system, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that oversees the election.
“These institutions man the polling booths. So tell me, can you win an election free? Even the poor man is not honest. If we are to go into details of what happens practically, you will see voters saying they cannot vote until they are paid, ” The APC chair added.
Moderating the panel session, Kukah called for learning from past mistakes to build stronger institutions and democracy in Nigeria.
He stated, “Whether it is the judiciary or bureaucracy, all is a work in progress, and the most important thing is for us to learn the mistakes of the past and then develop the mechanism for ensuring that things don’t continue to repeat themselves.
“So, if you ask who built institutions? Institutions are supposed to be a mirror reflecting the aspirations, the fears, the hopes and the anxieties of an entire people. That means that for the police to become an institution and for the bureaucracy to become an institution, Nigerians must collectively and individually learn to say no to things going contrary to the principles of that institution.
“So, I think it is everybody’s business really for Nigeria to have stronger institutions.’’
Kukah also praised the European Union for its role in strengthening democracy in Nigeria, particularly through the development of the Political Party Management Toolkit (PPMT).
(NAN)
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