Why Jailing Corrupt Public Officials Won’t Stop Corruption –Yusuf Olaolu Ali [SAN]

A constitutional lawyer, Yusuf Olaolu Ali (SAN), has said that jailing corrupt officials or others accused and convicted of corruption cannot stop the menace in the country.

He said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the launch of Akin Fadeyi foundation’s end-line report on its anti-corruption and good governance project and advocacy campaign ‘corruption not in my country’.

The three-year project supported by MacArthur foundation was designed to reduce corruption in Nigeria and promote transparency by encouraging positive behavioral changes among citizens.

Ali, who deliver the keynote on, “Anti-Corruption Endeavours and Government Collaboration: A strategic Recipe for Nation Building”, regretted that have not been any major success in the fight against corruption in the country, insisting that a bottom-top approach would go a long way to reduce the menace.

“Corruption will not stop until the average person sees the evil in corruption. Nigeria is the only country I know that corruption has a tribe and religion making it difficult to look at the merit of the allegations against someone.

“The fact is Nigerians corrupt their leaders and I have never blame only government for corruption. We should understand that corruption starts from our houses and corruption is corruption no matter how beneficial it is to us,” Ali said.

On his part, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, urged the public to leverage on the “Flagit” Anti-Corruption App, to report unprofessional and professional conducts exhibited by FRSC staff, saying that the Corp had treated 63 of such cases.

“The move is in a bid to achieve total eradication of all incidences of a disservice, indiscipline and corruption among personnel of the Corps.

Earlier, the Executive Director of the foundation, Akin Fadeyi, said combating corruption in Nigeria could be very challenging, adding, however, that it is also an achievable task.

According to him, the project was designed to promote good governance in Nigeria and address issues of transparency and promotion of rule of law with the nation’s criminal system.

Also, the African Director of the MacArthur Foundation, Dr Kole Shettima, said that change can only happen when citizens work with government and government works with citizens.