NATIONAL PUSH AGAINST CORRUPTION GAINS MOMENTUM AS 36 STATES ALIGN ON DIGITAL ASSET DECLARATION
By Zare Baba.
In a decisive move to tighten the noose on corruption and reinforce accountability across Nigeria’s public sector, the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme has convened all 36 State Heads of Service for a high-powered, two-day National Stakeholders Engagement.
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The summit, held in partnership with the Code of Conduct Bureau and the Federal Ministry of Justice, focused on accelerating the implementation of two pivotal reform instruments, the Online Assets and Liabilities Declaration System (OALDS) and the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS).
The gathering comes amid growing concerns over systemic leakages, weak enforcement mechanisms, and the urgent need to institutionalize preventive anti-corruption frameworks, particularly at the sub-national level where governance directly impacts citizens.
Declaring the civil service as the “engine room” of government, stakeholders underscored that the success or failure of public policies rests squarely on the shoulders of bureaucratic institutions responsible for execution.
They warned that without a transparent and accountable civil service, even the most well-crafted policies risk collapse.
At the core of deliberations was the drive to domesticate the National Anti-Corruption Strategy across all states, ensuring that anti-corruption policies are not merely federal pronouncements but embedded within state governance structures.
Participants also pushed for the full-scale adoption of OALDS, a digital platform designed to enhance transparency in asset declaration by public officials, reduce human interference, and close avenues for concealment of illicit wealth.
The engagement further sought to establish a coordinated monitoring and evaluation framework that seamlessly links the implementation of NACS with the operationalization of OALDS, creating a unified and measurable anti-corruption ecosystem nationwide.
Funded by the European Union and implemented by International IDEA, the initiative signals a strategic shift from reactive enforcement to proactive prevention, leveraging technology, policy alignment, and institutional collaboration.
Analysts say the outcome of this engagement could mark a turning point in Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight, particularly if state governments demonstrate political will to adopt and sustain these reforms.
As deliberations closed, a consensus emerged, among which is the sanitizatiin of the civil service which they said is non-negotiable.
For the participants, the message was clear especially when the machinery of government operates beyond reproach, it not only rebuilds public trust but also secures the long-term credibility and effectiveness of Nigeria’s governance system.
