The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Monday urged Nigerians to be vigilant to track corruption issues.
Head of International Cooperation Unit of the commission, Mr. Kingsley Obi, made the call at the unveiling of an online platform designed to track government projects, policies and programmes in Abuja.
The platform, www.governaceindexreport.ng, was designed by Legal Phobia, a private sector organisation.
Obi said that positive vigilance by the public was necessary as all the security agencies put together could not effectively fight corruption alone.
He said that Nigerians must demand transparency and accountability from all leaders and must reject, report and resist corruption in its entirety.
Buhari’s Government Planning My Assassination – Wike
According to him, the time for lamentation is over, this is the time of change and everyone has to be part of the change.
Obi said that government and the people must ensure effective operation of the Open Governance Partnership (OGP) to further curb corruption.
Ahead of the 2019 elections, he urged the youths not to allow themselves to be used to carry out violence.
He said that aspirants should be effectively drilled irrespective of religious or ethnic background and that their track records should be properly scrutinised.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Legal Phobia, Mr Ibrahim Yeku, said that the online platform provided opportunity for government at all levels to publish finished and ongoing projects and programmes and get feedback from the citizens.
Yeku said that the platform would enhance participatory governance which would allow the people to know what government is doing and make positive contributions.
He said that it would also make data available to the public and enable citizens to monitor government projects and assess performance.
The chief executive officer said that the organisation had contacted all state governments, but that the level of response was not encouraging.
He said that the organisation published Impact Assessment Report which evaluated programmes, projects and polices of government.
He said that the platform would serve as a development data bank of government projects, programmes and policies across the country, adding that it would be a tool for policy formulation and decision-making.
Yeku explained that the platform was about public performance and pressure irrespective of religious or ethnic background.
According to him, the idea is not to discredit any government, but to showcase projects and allow citizens to make contributions.