Anambra is one on the most corrupt states in Nigeria, according to the anti-graft group, Citizens Anti Corruption Volunteers Corp (CACVC), citing the result of a survey.
In a statement issued over the weekend, CACVC Executive Director, Comrade Eze Harris Chuma, said the result of a survey it conducted indicates that tackling corruption in Anambra is an extremely difficult task to achieve.
“The report from the survey delves into the place and importance corruption occupies among elites and the government. Corruption is a perennial topic for Anambra State but the current economic recession has brought the issue to the fore in all government ministries, department and agencies,” he said.
To explore corruption in Anambra State, the group said it is set to bring together relevant authorities in the state in a panel, to discuss the role and cost of corruption, based on its background report on the state.
CACVC said: “We have tried to go around the generalities and break it down into what corruption actually does, what impact it has, and some of the mechanisms that are used to assert control both over business and over politics.
“The problem has deep roots. From the point of view of petty corruption, citizens really face many cases, and some now see bribes and pay-offs as a way to simplify bureaucratic procedures.
In Anambra State, corruption has become part of the system.
“CACVC has observed that the civil service has for long, been a source of controversy due to perennial corrupt practices in the discharge of duties, and public offices are also specially designed to be opaque.
“The entire civil service sector is structured as a corrupt mechanism, the way that the operations are set, the way that the money disappears into individuals pockets has been significantly alarming.”
The group also alleged that the state government seldom declares a war on corruption, and usually it appears the nonchalant attitude negates an ulterior motive while anticorruption campaigns are very selective.
“What they really do is target people who have fallen out of favor, or particular people who have not been loyal enough, shall we say, to the leadership.
“It is extremely difficult to obtain a clear picture of the extent of corruption. Many reports that you read about Anambra are connected directly with political opponents and they are very subjective. It is a valid point particularly since some of the leading government opponents are fallen former government officials and or party members bearing a grudge.”
CACVC stressed that while caution is needed in assessing claims of corruption from local sources, “you can have a political motivation and still have very true, very well-researched facts.
As mentioned, Anambra just like any other states in Nigeria is in an economic crisis at the moment. Several factors have combined to ensured none of the states in Nigeria could escape from an economic downturn, whether it was dependency on oil exports.”
Source News Express