Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Bencher, Chief Jibrin Samuel Okutepa, has said that Nigeria cannot defeat corruption through speeches, slogans, commissions, committees or additional legislation, and that the fight can only be meaningfully advanced when those who govern demonstrate through their own conduct that public office is a trust rather than a licence to accumulate wealth.
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In a statement published on his social media platform, the senior advocate said that if Nigerian leaders genuinely want to curb corruption, “they must first set the example.”
He located the weakness of the national effort not in the statute book but in the conduct of those who administer it.
“The greatest weakness in Nigeria’s fight against corruption is not the absence of laws or institutions. Nigeria has laws against corruption and institutions to enforce them,” he wrote.
“The deeper problem is the gap between what leaders publicly preach and what they privately tolerate or practise. When those entrusted with public resources live extravagantly without providing satisfactory explanations for their wealth, while public institutions struggle to provide basic services, citizens inevitably lose confidence in the government’s moral authority.”
He said the conduct of leaders carries a message which subordinates read accurately.
“Leadership is ultimately about example. A leader who demands accountability from subordinates but refuses to account for public resources sends a dangerous message.”
“A government that prosecutes corruption selectively while shielding politically useful individuals weakens the very institutions established to fight corruption. Likewise, when political loyalty becomes more important than integrity, corruption becomes not an aberration but a system of governance.”
He set out what he said leadership by example would require in practice.
“The fight against corruption must therefore begin at the top. Political leaders must be prepared to submit themselves to the same standards of accountability they demand from ordinary citizens.”
“Public expenditure must be transparent. Procurement must be open and competitive. Government appointments must be based substantially on competence, integrity and the public interest rather than political patronage. Those entrusted with public funds must be able to explain how those funds were obtained, spent and accounted for.”
The senior advocate said the social treatment of wealth is itself part of the problem.
“More importantly, Nigerian leaders must stop celebrating unexplained wealth. Society takes its moral direction from what it rewards.”
“When individuals of questionable means are honoured with political appointments, celebrated at public functions and treated as role models because of their wealth or political influence, corruption acquires social legitimacy.”
“The message to the younger generation becomes painfully clear: integrity is optional, while wealth and influence are the real measures of success.”
He called for the protection of the institutions charged with accountability.
“Institutions must also be allowed to function independently. Anti-corruption agencies, the police, the judiciary, auditors and other accountability institutions must be protected from political interference.”
“The law must operate without fear or favour. Nobody should be considered too powerful to investigate, too connected to prosecute, or too important to hold to account for public resources.”
He said leadership by example extends beyond enforcement after the event.
“But leadership by example goes beyond fighting corruption after it has occurred. It means creating a culture that prevents corruption before it happens.”
“It means leaders refusing gifts that compromise public confidence, avoiding conflicts of interest, respecting procurement rules, declaring their interests honestly and insisting that public resources be used exclusively for public purposes.”
He concluded that the country’s shortage is not of patriotic citizens.
“Nigeria does not lack patriotic citizens. What the country desperately needs is leadership that gives integrity practical meaning. The strongest anti-corruption campaign is not a speech; it is the conduct of those who occupy public office.”
“If our leaders want citizens to obey the law, they must obey it themselves. If they want public servants to reject bribery, they must reject corruption in all its forms. If they want the younger generation to value hard work and honesty, they must stop glorifying wealth without accountability.”
“Corruption will begin to retreat when integrity becomes the currency of leadership and accountability becomes the condition for public office. Nigeria does not need leaders who merely condemn corruption with their words.”
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