Anti-corruption advocates have posited that an improved welfare and social security for civil servants can curtail systemic corruption in the country.
This was part of the recommendation made by Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) at a one-day consultation forum.
The event was organised based on the report published in December 2019 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the National Bureau of Statistic.
HEDA said huge funds are lost yearly to corruption in the informal sector in Nigeria, urging the various anti-graft agencies to beam the searchlight on petty corruption associated with the civil service and informal sector.
It, however, noted that civil servants’ access to health, education and other social security measures will stem corruption in Nigeria, anti-graft experts have said.
Experts at the forum stated that government efforts have been focused on high-level corruption with less focus on petty corruption, the frequency of which is also higher and runs into billions of naira.
They also said there was a misplaced faith in government’s ability to tackle corruption alone whereas, tackling the menace was a collective responsibility of all stakeholders.
“Corruption in Nigeria is not peculiar to politically exposed persons. There is a lot of corruption going on in the informal sector.
“This petty corruption when put together runs into billions of naira every year.
“It affects the growth of public services and undermines the stability of street economy putting a heavy burden on its operators,” the communique issued at the end of the conference said.
