Corruption is a very serious problem in Africa and most especially Nigeria. One of the most corrupt nations in the world, Nigeria loses over 10% of its GDP to government corruption.
No country has ever become prosperous with such levels of corruption.
The New Nigeria Project deals with corruption with a most radical approach.
Firstly, the name, corruption, a word foreign to African tradition, has not surprisingly been abused in Nigeria and is now a prestigious label. The New Nigeria Project redefines corruption as “Robbery.” Officials caught engaging at any level in corruption are labelled “thieves,” and treated as such.
The New Nigeria project also considers the application of Nigeria’s Capital penalties for levels of corruption where obviously the masses whose funds have been stolen have died or are at risk of death due to their lost funds. Funds stolen by government officials are needed for the purchase of medical equipment, drugs, for the construction of roads, education and the like. Therefore, the pocketing of public funds by government officials directly leads to deaths of citizens. For this reason, officials caught stealing public funds will under new decrees be at risk of capital punishment.
The giver and recipient as well as any accomplice in the usurping of public funds will all meet similar punishments. Favoritism and nepotism will be totally criminalized. There will no longer be any tolerance for corruption of any kind whatsoever. Nigerians will be given one month to tidy themselves up and keep only funds they can clearly account for. Thereafter the WC commission will investigate all monetary transactions in Nigeria and invite suspects for thorough screening.
*The current maze of overlapping and contradictory regulations will be urgently simplified and updated.
*Institutions responsible for upholding accountability will be created and strengthened.
*All government transactions will pass through several committees for review and approval.
* The New Nigeria Project establishes a system for employees to report corruption, and for officials confronted with a corrupt situation to consult for advice.
*There will be 100% transparency as corruption flourishes under the current bureaucratic culture of secrecy.
* There will be CCTV cameras in all government offices.
*Government business will be conducted formally through monitored official phones.
*The entire contract awarding system will be revamped.
Political corruption:
*Party politics funding will be monitored and reduced by allocating free time slots on state TV and radio stations, with no additional time allowed. What citizens must contrast is the message and value of candidates not the waste-fullness of their political shows.
*Any politician caught misappropriating state resources for political purposes will be dealt with as common criminals.
* Contending parties will have their funds audited.
*The independence of the Election Commission will be strongly protected by considering decentralizing the commission and also by allowing equal public service time for all candidates.
*Revolutionizing the system with computerized voting, utilizing biographic thumb-print capture will be an immediate step to eliminate voter fraud and appraise the value of the electoral system.
I pray God will hear our leaders prayer