A civil society organization Human Rights Advancement, Development and Advocacy Centre (HURIDAC) has launched an anti corruption advocacy guide towards the 2023 gubernatorial election in Lagos State as a pilot project.
At the event which took place in Lagos on Monday 4th October 2021, the Executive Director of HURIDAC Mr Ayodele Ameen stated that the project is called C-MAP with the objective of raising awareness on anti corruption footprints among the political parties and candidates as we gear up for the 2023 gubernatorial election in Lagos State.
According to Mr. Ameen, the anti corruption advocacy guide aims to ask candidates about their anti corruption plans in their manifestoes to the electorate knowing fully well that public office is about transparent and accountable management of public resources. The project also aims to widen the scope of peoples understanding of what corruption is, since it has been observed that their perception on what constitutes corruption is very narrow.
The advocacy guide according to Mr. Ameen aims to work with the new Lagos State anti corruption law which though is still a subject of contention in some aspects, but is very robust in addressing corruption in ways even beyond what is captured as corruption by the EFCC Act.
The project wants anti corruption footprints prioritized by politicians and political parties in their manifestoes to the electorate.
Speaking in the same vein, the chairman of the occasion, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsajani who is the Executive Director of (CISLAC), commended HURIDAC for the initiative which is meant to mainstream anti corruption footprints into public consciousness. He emphasized that with regards to public office and resources, that transparency and accountability should be the watchword at all times.
He admonished Lagosians to engage politicians and political parties on accountability, transparency and good governance which is germane to the sustenance of peace, law and order. Mr. Rafsajani identified lack of transparency and accountability as being responsible for the woes of the Nigeria state, warning that balkanization of Nigeria was not the solution to the problems of Nigeria but accountability, transparency and good governance, because without these parameters in place, even if Nigeria is balkanized into a million parts, the issue of misgovernance will still give birth to unrest and social disorder as we are presently witnessing.
Mr Rafsajani wants the project to be replicated in other states of the federation to serve as part of the panacea towards arresting the menace of vote buying during elections. He advocated for the project to work with the Lagos State government to mainstream accountability and transparency into governance. Mr. Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsajani stated that we must all be in a position to hold government accountable at all times which is what the advocacy guide is all about.
On his part, the representative of the Lagos State Commissioner for information and strategy Mr. Alonge Jamiu Odewale commended HURIDAC for the bold initiative enunciated in the objective of the project which is to hold government accountable. He emphasized that since coming into office, the Lagos State government under Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has operated an all inclusive government which is enthroned on the principles of transparency and accountability for the collective good.
Mr. Odewale stated that it is in line with the spirit of transparency and accountability that motivated the Lagos State government to enact the State anti corruption law to make the citizens good those saddled with management of public office and resources accountable to the people. He stated that government wants to make things better and so welcomes the involvement of everyone and groups like HURIDAC which is public interest oriented.
The highlight of the occasion was the unveiling of the advocacy guide by the chairman of the occasion Mr. Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsajani assisted by Mr. Ayodele Ameen Executive Director of HURIDAC, Mr. Alonge of the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy and Mrs. Modupe Asama of WARDC.