political and economic” is responsible for the widespread poverty in the country

                         IS THIS GOOD FOR US IN NIGERIA??

 A team of eminent persons from the African Union (AU) which was in Nigeria on a month-long review mission in March has said corruption is still endemic in the country despite the activities of the anti-corruption agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).

In a 380-page Country Review Report submitted by the team and which was made available to the press yesterday, the team said corruption pervades all levels of the Nigerian society and had been described as a way of life in Nigeria. It also said the election that brought President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to power was marred by irregularities.

However, Special Assistant to the President on NEPAD, Dr. Tunji Olagunju, who presented the report in a news conference in Abuja on Monday, said the content was neither about the current administration nor any particular previous one for that matter. “It is an unbiased external evaluation of governance in Nigeria...in essence, the cumulative impact of governance on Nigeria since independence in 1960,” Olagunju said.

It said corruption “political and economic” is responsible for the widespread poverty in the country. “Corruption has held back economic growth and development and has frustrated incentives to align budgetary allocations with development priorities,” the report said, even as it noted that Nigeria would not be able to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Although the EFCC and the ICPC had been actively engaged in fighting corruption, the report said both agencies had been under-resourced and sometimes perceived to be influenced by the chief executive.
“Corruption, especially the use of money in politics, is a great hindrance to the development of constitutional democracy in Nigeria,” it further stated.

Furthermore, it noted that economic and financial crimes such as 419 and money laundering had had severe negative consequences for Nigeria, including decreased direct foreign investment. Although there are comprehensive laws to deal with the problems, it said the implementation had been ineffectual.
“Nigeria continues to be hampered by systemic corruption and debilitating ancillaries, bribery, graft, advanced fee fraud, and nepotism,” the report said. Not surprisingly, it added, the country ranks low in human development indices, ranking lower than the average for sub-Saharan Africa.

Describing Nigeria as a country of paradox, the Country Review Report noted that the country has the potential to build a prosperous economy, reduce poverty significantly, and provide the basic social and economic services needed by the citizenry, but regretted that that the country is still plagued by high incidences of poverty, high unemployment rates, poor infrastructure, low growth rates and widespread insecurity and crime despite the abundance of rich natural resources.

Although several reforms had been initiated by the government, the report said these had not resulted in the desired effect of an effective civil service. It noted that demoralizing characteristics, including poor pay, political patronage, a slow response to adoption technological change ... corruption and gross indiscipline characterize the civil service, resulting in declining efficiency, effectiveness and productivity.

However, the report noted that Nigeria and its people showcase the best that Africa has to offer in terms of pride in African values, originality and creativity, spirituality, enterprise and belief in the supremacy of kinship and brotherhood.
Widely considered a pacesetter in these areas, Nigerian culture has been emulated and adopted in several African states, it said.

Posted: at 3-06-2008 06:31 AM (16 years ago) | Newbie

Dude stop lifting newspaper articles without reference.It's called plagiarism.
Read them,get the gist & paraphrase.I've sure read this B4 in thisdayonline.com.

Posted: at 29-06-2008 06:09 PM (16 years ago) | Upcoming

True talk

Posted: at 24-08-2015 12:20 AM (9 years ago) | Hero