Why corruption is increasing in Nigeria, by FG

From AIDOGHIE PAULINUS, Abuja

The Federal Government said yesterday that lack of values was responsible for high level corruption in the country.
This is even as it said that over-dependence on government for means of livelihood, is breeding corruption, noting that one of the reasons why there is corruption in Nigeria is because the economy revolves around government.
Minister of Information Labaran Maku, stated this yesterday in Abuja during a press conference which x-rayed government’s key achievements in 2013, saying for a long time, people are rated by how much money they have and not by their capacity to do things.
Maku referred to United States President Barack Obama, who generated more money from contributions from the masses during his campaign and won the election, saying in Nigeria today, most of the time, you find people saying, has he brought working material?
“When they say working material, they are talking about money. That is high level of corruption. The highest corruption is for you to sell your votes for money.
“When you are talking about leadership, you are not looking at quality.  You are looking at whether the person has money. That is the highest level of corruption and that is making it impossible for people who have knowledge, who have capacity, who are sincere, who are honest and they want to serve this country, they hardly ever get through because the voters put so much emphasis on money so that politics then becomes something for the highest bidder.
“So, I cannot deny that there is no corruption in Nigeria. I believe there is corruption in Nigeria because even sometimes, if you go to religious organizations, you go to Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs), there are problems of poor management of funds sometimes. We have poor management of funds.
“And sometimes, our public officers, if you look at the pressure on public officers here; I am going to London and I passed through Number 10, Downing Street, nobody is hanging there. You won’t find anybody there. So, our system needs a lot of reform,” Maku said.
Noting that laws alone cannot stop corruption in the country, Maku further noted that it was a matter of conscience.
“But even then, I believe that fighting corruption also involves making the system inhospitable to fraud.
“As we approach 2015, you will notice. Everyday, somebody would sit and say hey, they have stolen forty-something billion, one hundred billion. It is aimed at getting headlines to make the government look bad. When you ask them to bring the facts, they don’t have.
“I, who is talking to you, I read the headline that I have stolen one hundred billion in one of the national newspapers. So, the truth of the matter is this; abuses are still taking place in Nigeria. We need a lot of work,” Maku noted.
On the economy, Maku said Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),is one of the fastest growing in the world, noting that the growth rate in 2013, was put at 7.2 percent by the  International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He also said there was stable exchange rate as the dollar exchange had remained stable in the last two years between N155 and N160.

 

SOURCE: http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/corruption-increasing-nigeria-fg/