Joseph Akeju, a former lecturer at Yaba University of Technology in Lagos, came under fire in 2018 for blowing the whistle on corruption in tertiary institutions. He had disclosed to the university’s governing council financial irregularities in the awarding of contracts at the university. A huge sum of 1.68 billion naira was involved. Instead of pursuing the allegations, the board fired Mr. Akeju from Yabatech. The intervention of the African Center for Media and Information Literacy (AFRIMIL) under the Corruption Anonymous Project led to the council’s decision being overturned. In December 2021, his termination was reversed and converted to retirement.
Another beneficiary of the Corruption Anonymous project is Mr. Sambo Abdullahi, former head of internal audit at Nigeria Large Scale Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc. Mr. Abdullahi had rejected attempts to expose corruption and lure him into nefarious plans. Because of his courageous actions, his salary and other benefits were withheld for an additional three years starting in December 2017. With the support of AFRIMIL, a government-owned enterprise (GOE) was dragged to court seeking justice for the damages caused by its auditors. In March 2020, the court ruled in favor of the whistleblower. The embargo on Abdullahi’s compensation has since been lifted.
The victories of these two whistleblowers and many others were made possible by work under AFRIMIL’s “Big Bets for Nigeria” project, supported by the MacArthur Foundation. “Support from the MacArthur Foundation has enabled us to realize our vision of combating corruption through whistleblowing,” said AFRIMIL Executive Director Dr. Chido Onuma.
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“Over the years, we have been able to raise awareness of whistleblowing as an anti-corruption tool, provide technical assistance to the Treasury, where the policy is based, and provide legal assistance to aggrieved whistleblowers. The bill was submitted to the National Assembly as a presidential bill by the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The bill is expected to be enacted by the end of the 10th session of the Diet.
The MacArthur Foundation’s grants to AFRIMIL will total approximately It’s just one of 317 grants totaling $50 million.
The Big Bets for Nigeria project began in 2015 and will end in 2024. This was a strategy introduced to solve the difficult problem of corruption in the country.
It is an open secret that Nigeria has a vast amount of laws and policies, about a kilometer long, designed to tackle corruption, which is a sore that sucks the nutrients that Nigeria needs to grow. . These include the Civil Service (Assets Testing) Order No. 5 of 1966; Corrupt Practices Prohibition Order 1975. Ethical Revolution (1979). 1984 War on Indiscipline. Corruption and other economic crimes in 1990. Corrupt Practices and Economic Offenses (Prohibition) Order 1994. Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) 2000. and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (2002), among others.
For years, it was believed that the law had acted as a violent masquerade to scare Nigerians from falling into corrupt practices. An honest inventory will prove that the law does not threaten the public from corruption. Rather evil people have found ways to get around them. In fact, civil servants, civil servants, and their collaborators in the corporate world are reeling in a pool of corruption.
The impact of the MacArthur Foundation’s Big Bets for Nigeria project is not visible in the physical infrastructure that politicians often tout as achievements. However, it is clear that there is a strong sense among Nigerians that corruption is an impediment to development and should be avoided. The Administration of Criminal Justice Act (2015), the primary legal instrument to reduce corruption in the justice system, is made possible with support from the MacArthur Foundation.
The ACJA, as it is commonly called, has guaranteed speedy trials and expedited disposal of criminal cases based on the interests and rights of suspects, defendants, victims, and other parties to the case. Many states in Nigeria have laws in place.
Many educational and religious organizations have successfully adopted anti-corruption messages. After more than five years of implementing the funded program, Al Habibiyah Islamic Association said: They are bold and confident in their anti-corruption preaching…” Another grant recipient, the Bishop’s Palace Assembly, cited as indicators “the adoption of a National Anti-Corruption Sunday and the Annual National General Oversight Summit on Anti-Corruption” “Institutionalization”. How Christian leaders in Nigeria have embraced the anti-corruption movement.
Grants from the MacArthur Foundation have transformed Nigeria’s media and journalism ecosystem. Dayo Aietan, executive director of the International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), explains the situation: Journalists reported stories forcing contractors back on site to complete abandoned projects. What will remain, however, is the ability of the Nigerian media to engage in investigative reporting. Now more than ever, more Nigerian journalists are empowered to engage in responsible journalism. The landscape of journalism is no longer the same again. ”
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Motunlayo Famuyiwa Alaka, as many as 8,989 journalists were trained in investigative reporting techniques across Nigeria during this period, and 7,531 investigative reports were completed. It is said that it was done. have been published, many of which have had great influence.
One such piece of investigative reporting was the organ harvesting article published by Daily Trust and broadcast by Trust TV, which won the Nigeria Investigative Article of the Year (Print) award in 2023. The article drew the government’s attention to rights abuses. The number of underage boys who were persuaded to give up their kidneys for a pittance. The story resonated throughout the country.
Another shocking investigative article published with support from the MacArthur Foundation is the Cotonou degree exposed by the online newspaper, Daily Nigeria. This article exposes the failure of Nigerian authorities to take due care in recommending and accepting certificates from foreign universities where students do not necessarily acquire knowledge regarding the certificates being issued. did. This report forced the Nigerian government to review its policies regarding foreign education.
On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, the MacArthur Foundation marked the 30th anniversary of its intervention in Nigeria. Speaking at the event held at the Trancorp Hilton in Abuja, Foundation Chairman Professor John Palfrey said: About Nigeria. ” The initiatives he mentioned are in the areas of population and reproductive health, leadership development, girls’ education, human rights and international justice, and the just-concluded anti-corruption project.
Dr. Cole Shettima, Director (Africa) of the MacArthur Foundation, spoke about the nature of the Big Bets for Nigeria project. At the commemoration ceremony, he said: “In 2015, we pivoted to Nigeria’s big bet and supported Nigerian-led efforts to reduce corruption and strengthen accountability. This was the sixth MacArthur program in Nigeria. has been a catalyst for tough but honest dialogue and co-creation of strategies between demand-side and supply-side stakeholders to tackle corruption and maintain transparency, accountability and participation.”
The MacArthur Foundation’s On Nigeria project has proven that social change is a long-distance run. This cannot be achieved simply by enacting laws or promulgating policies. Social change can be fostered through careful engagement with stakeholders at different levels and through civil society organizations.
When it comes to fighting corruption, the foundation left the challenge to local philanthropists who yearn for change in Nigeria to step in and pick up where the MacArthur Foundation left off. Although the impact may not be immediate, the cumulative positive effects of such investments could lead to a better Nigeria.
Dr. Abbar is a program director at the Daily Trust Foundation and one of the recipients of MacArthur Foundation grants from 2017 to 2024.
