Communiqué issued at the end of the 14th Anti-Corruption Situation Room (ACSR) with the theme: INCREASING TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SOCIAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMME organized by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) in Maiduguri on September 10, 2019 with the support of SCRAP-C-Actionaid and MacArthur Foundation, in partnership with TUGAR, National Orientation Agency (NOA), National Social Investment Programme, N-SIP, PTCIJ, EFCC and AFRICMIL Background Nigeria faces the grim image of corruption in almost every sphere of human lives. The country’s development and growth have been continuously undermined by corruption, leading to a string of social ills like poverty, hunger, inequality, unemployment and violence. For Nigeria to assume her leadership role in Africa, transforming the economic, social and cultural lives of her citizens is crucial whereas this cannot be achieved without retrieving stolen funds and the investments of such funds in the most transparent and utilitarian manner. Part of the strategy of fighting corruption is the recovery of looted funds and constructive engagement of citizens’ participation in how such funds are utilized by the government. In the past, a large chunk of recovered funds has been consistently re-looted or ploughed into frivolous projects with the funds ending up in the pockets of corrupt officials. This partly informed the concept of the Anti-Corruption Situation Room the 14th Session of which was held in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, one of Nigeria’s most ancient kingdoms with specific focus on transparency and accountability in the disbursement and management of the National Social Investment Programme (N-SIP) Participants Participants made up of individuals and organisations were drawn from various layers of the society, many of whom came from Borno State and other neighbouring states. They include the Special Adviser to the President on National Social Investment Programme, Mrs Maryam Uwais, represented by, Ms. Sola Afolayan and Justice Bibiye, the Office of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, represented by the Executive Secretary, Prof Sadiq Isah Radda, Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr Garba Abari,  Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Maiduguri, Prof Yusuf Moud Yusuf, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Prof D. Gambo, Borno State Coalition for Democracy and Progress, Mallam Mohammed Wuyo, the Chief Imam of Bornu State, Imam Mongunoma, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), representative, Rev Emmanuel,  office of the Gombe Social Investment Programme, Zonal Head, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC Borno State Zonal Office, Mr Lawrence Iwodi, Borno State NUJ Chairman, Mallam Bulawa Talba,  NLC Borno State Chapter Chairman, Mallam Babakura Maina, Borno Sate Ministry of Information representative, Alhaji Tahir Isiaku and a host of beneficiaries of the National Social Investment Programme, N-SIP. Deliberations The session began with solidarity messages from the EFCC, the PACAC, NOA, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ, the Chief Iman of Borno State, the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) and many community-based organisations and civil society groups. Participants, after the keynote presentation delivered by the Coordinator of N-SIP, deliberated and observed the following issues with various comments, questions and suggestions made: That bringing the Anti-Corruption Situation Room to Borno State is significant in many respects. Apart from the fact that it signifies the gradual return of normalcy, following years of insecurity in the State, it is also noteworthy considering the efforts of local and international community in addressing the problem of poverty and displacement, which are also linked to corruption and occasioned by the violence in some parts of the once peaceful State. That corruption in Nigeria are in the form of bribe, outright stealing of public funds, illicit transfer of stolen funds which are often kept in foreign accounts, acquisition of illicit assets, all of which continue to fuel underdevelopment and instability across the country. That the fight against corruption must be fought with the determination of all Nigerians for the prosperity and functional good of Nigerians. Participants recognized the recent efforts of the Federal Government in retrieving stolen funds and assets and also take note of the striking strategy of disbursement of recovered loot with focus on poverty alleviation through the National Social Investment Programme with its various vessels like Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme. That poverty remains a major problem across Nigeria. The National Social Investment Programme is one of the unique intervention mechanisms for dealing with poverty and inequalities across the country. That Inspite of the remarkable progress made through the N-SIP, participants recognized some of the obstacles against effective, comprehensive and meaningful implementation at the States level, like compromised quality of food served by vendors and third-party politicization of the process which occur in some parts of the country. Why this does not erase the profound value of the programme, it calls for urgent probe and intervention by the N-SIP as the N-SIP officials have impressively done in related cases of earlier complaints. Resolution Participants identified the National Social Investment Programme as a commendable effort of the Federal Government, which appears to have made tremendous impact in the quest to reduce poverty in the North Eastern States and across the country. Anti-corruption campaigns and efforts should not be left for the Federal government alone. The campaign should be inclusive. There should be greater community participation in the processes of the N-SIP which is expected to aid the feedback mechanism apart from many other associated advantages Though, the amount given to the N-SIP beneficiaries may appear small, but the impact is immense and should be sustained by the Federal Government beyond the life-cycle of the initial implementation plan. Participants commend the Federal Government’s school feeding programme which has helped in meeting the essentials of life of school children and vendors servicing them. However, there are shortcomings traceable to corruption and lack of transparency at community and School levels. In order to deal with the problem of corruption in the implementation of the N-SIP, the Federal Government should strengthen the School Monitoring Committee to increase the level of transparency and accountability while anti-corruption agencies should monitor the implementation process for

Communique Issued at the End of the 13th Anti-Corruption Situation Room (ACSR) with the Theme: Setting Anti-Corruption Agenda for the 9th National Assembly Organized by Human Resource Development Agenda, (HEDA) with the support of the MacArthur Foundation and Actionaid-Nigeria, Held at Reiz Continental Hotel, Abuja On Thursday, August 22, 2019. The historic event had in attendance, intellectuals and experts, drawn from professional bodies, labor, civil society and the media. Others were, Prof. Shehu Abdullahi, who chaired the event, Mariam Uwais (Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment), Dr. Otive Igbuzor (Chief of Staff to the Deputy Senate President), Dr Garba Abari (DG of National Orientation Agency (NOA)), Mr. Femi Falana SAN, Mr. Chido Onumah (Coordinator, AFRICMIL), Mr. Auwalu Musa Rafsanjani– represented by Mr. Jaclar Prusa (CISLAC), Prof. Sola Akinrinade (ICPC Academy), Mr. Dayo Olaide (Deputy Country Director, MacArthur Foundation),  Dr. Aminu Guzau (EFCC’s Chairman Representative), Hon. Kayode Oladele, Dr. Bala Mohammed (Representative of ICPC’s Chairman), Ms. Ene Obi (Actionaid-Nigeria’s Country Director), Hadjia Saudatu Mahdi (WRAPA’s General– Secretary), Ms. Lilian Ekeanyanwu (Head- TUGAR), and other distinguished guests. The keynote address was delivered by Honourable Kayode Oladele, immediate past Chairman of Nigeria’s 8th House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes. Goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of various organisations, including Nigeria’s National Assembly, office of the Deputy Senate President, Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment, MacArthur Foundation, Actionaid-Nigeria and other civil society groups. Background Corruption remains a major obstacle to the economic, cultural and industrial renaissance in Nigeria. The (corruption) scourge has figuratively become a cancer that threatens to destroy the (entire) fabric of Nigeria’s political economy. Corruption is an issue of urgent national importance. It diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity. Corruption cannot be fought effectively, without a significant role of the National Assembly, which is the most profound, democratic representation of the aspirations of Nigerians. In the midst of the momentum of the newly inaugurated 9th National Assembly, another unique window of opportunity has been opened for Nigerians, to constructively engage the National Assembly, given its role, as defined in Nigeria’s constitution, as amended, as an institution that is endowed (constitutionally) with statutory powers to confront corruption Section 4(3) of the Nigerian constitution, empowers the National Assembly, to make laws, with respect to any matter for the peace and progress of the country. It is clear, therefore, that the National Assembly has the mandate to make laws that will tackle corruption wholly, as empowered by the constitution. Participants express great delight in the Anti-corruption Situation Room (ACSR), through its programs of setting agenda for Nigeria’s National Assembly in the fight against corruption. The National Assembly is a significant intervention platform and represents a potential institution that can create milestones in the campaign against corruption in Nigeria. Corruption may not be easy to overcome or be eliminated. However, constant engagement of relevant stakeholders, offers a rainbow of opportunities for Nigerians to bring corruption to its barest minimum. Participants recognized the past and present contributions of the National Assembly in the fight against corruption through enactments of laws, such as, the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Act, 2000, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,(Establishment Act, 2002), the Public Procurement Act, 2007, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit Act, which draws its powers from the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Act, 2007, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit Act, 2018, amongst,  related Bills pending in Nigeria’s National Assembly. Participants recognized, that the National Assembly, as part of its oversight functions, is also empowered to aid investigations of crime, control financial excesses of the tiers of government, expose corruption, waste or inefficiency, including, ensuring transparency in the disbursement of public funds. The summit, however, observed that inspite of various anti-corruption laws, many loose ends persists, as corruption, continues to rear its head in every social, economic and political sphere of Nigeria. For instance, participants observed, with regrets, that since 1999, no Auditor-General’s report has been reviewed conclusively by the National Assembly, creating a significant loophole in the country’s financial security system, amidst fears, that (some) suspects, linked to corruption have found themselves in the National Assembly as “lawmakers for Nigeria”. Participants, also recognized limitations imposed, by either; executive interference on the National Assembly’s ability to engage issues of corruption, the meddlesomeness of the National Assembly’s leadership itself, in some veiled instances and suspicious attempts to protect corrupt public officials from the hands of the law, open conducts or declarations of National Assembly’s leadership, which fuels public suspicion and doubts about the National Assembly’s genuine commitment to fight graft. Recognising that the National Assembly is critical in the campaign against corruption and that the free, unchallenged reign of corruption in Nigeria, is in itself, a threat to democracy, political stability and prosperity of the people. After exhaustive debates, which involved panel discussions, experts session from various players, backed by rich and robust inputs from contributors, the participants, hereby, make the following resolutions: That the civil society are determined to assist in setting a new anti-corruption agenda for the 9th National Assembly, with the hope of setting up, vigorous pursuit of anti-corruption campaigns in ways, never witnessed for the peace and prosperity of Nigeria. Five critical areas, identified, as important to anti-corruption watchdog  responsibilities of the National Assembly are: Budget Process; Constituency Projects of law makers; Effective Oversight Functions of the legislators; Prompt releases of the outcomes of National Assembly’s investigations on corruption (related) issues.; opacity surrounding the budget, Remuneration and Emoluments of National Assembly’s members and top Bureaucracy, which are of deep concern to Nigerians. That in this respect, the National Assembly, should promote public access to information on good governance at all tiers of government. That the National Assembly, should work with the civil society to promote effective and efficient enforcement of anti-corruption laws and also ensures, law enforcement agencies, do not work at cross purposes but collaborate and complement (each other) to effectively fight corruption. The domestication of all

Introduction and Backgrounds As usual, the end of the year 2022 presents yet another opportunity to assess the fight against corruption. No doubt, it remains a consistently sad account that the annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released by Transparency International (TI) continues to rank Nigeria low on anti-corruption. The issues and concerns remain constant and it is unclear whether much has actually changed. Although according to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in 2022, a total of 672 and 565 non-petition-led investigations were successfully conducted. The Commission also recovered 117 billion Naira as proceeds of crime during the period. During the same period, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured 3,328 convictions in addition to forfeiture of N775 million and landed properties linked to two former government officials; as well as forfeiture of 40 assets in Nigeria, the United States of America, London and Dubai belonging to former deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu. Despite this, the issue of abandoned corruption cases is one that has remained a feature of Nigeria’s corruption situation up to 2022. A recent study conducted by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) chronicles 35 various cases of corruption that remained unresolved between 1999 and 2022 involving about 826 billion US dollars. This is not to mention cases that are being prosecuted and prolonged for years within the court system. According to the 6th (2022) edition of a compendium of 100 High Profile Corruption Cases in Nigeria, covering the period between 2015 and 2022, also released by HEDA, more than 21 trillion Naira and over 47 billion US Dollars are involved in several pending and some concluded cases. The year 2022 was also filled with developments that caused concerns for whistle-blowers. There is a need to review various issues affecting whistle-blowing with a view to advancing the cause of exposing corruption in 2023. Beyond the continued lack of comprehensive legal protection for whistle-blowers, the Oath of Secrecy in the civil service has continued to serve as a readily available tool in the hands of corrupt officials to victimize while-blowers despite the cover provided against it by the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. How can we address these in 2023? What are available interim measures to deploy? The role of media in the onslaught against corruption is yet another area in need of review. How has the media helped in protecting whistle-blowers? How is the media helping to spotlight abandoned and delayed cases? How better can the media help in exposing oppressors of whistle-blowers? Allied to this is the role of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), what has been the impact of this organisation in the last year in sensitizing against corruption? What can be done better in 2023? While there has been debate as to the performance of the Buhari Administration in the fight against corruption, two incidents seemed to have narrowed the discussion, making it difficult to defend the genuineness of the fight against corruption under President Buhari. One of these is the series of shocking theft, with a 2022 notable example being the one involving the former Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, who allegedly stole about 109 billion Naira. The second 2022 development that cast serious doubts on the genuineness of the fight against corruption under this government was the State Pardon granted by the President to 159 prisoners, two of whom were Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame — ex-governors of Plateau and Taraba states, respectively. While Dariye was found guilty and jailed for stealing N1.16 billion, Nyame was sentenced for N1.6 billion. There have been arguments about the legality, moral validity, and political correctness of this development7. The 29th Anti-Corruption Situation Room (ACSR) was themed: “State of Anti-corruption in Nigeria: Review of 2022 and Agenda for 2023” with the objective of looking at these issues with a view to educating stakeholders and setting an agenda for the New Year even as the country settles into an election year. This is to review the fight against corruption in 2022 with a view to making agenda-setting recommendations to key stakeholders in the fight against corruption in 2023;  reorganize the civil society and the media for a stand against persecution of anti-corruption activists – including whistle-blowers and journalists – and defend activists’ rights; and sensitize stakeholders on key anti-corruption development and highlight perspectives for progress. The event, chaired by Prof. Sadiq Isah Radda, Executive Secretary of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), was attended by over 50 stakeholders from the state and non-state actors across Nigeria including, Dr. Kole Shettima, MacArthur Foundation; AbdulRasheed Bawa, EFCC Chairman ably represented by Hadiza Gamawa, Chief of Staff to the EFCC Chairman; Mrs. Kemi Okenyodo, Executive Director, Partners West Africa; Comrade Yunusa Z. Ya’u, Executive Director, Centre for Information, Technology, and Development (CITAD); Dr. Chido Onumah, Coordinator, AFRICMIL; Peggy Chukwuemeka, Executive Director, Parent-Child Intervention Centre; Comrade Jaye Jaskiya, Executive Director, Praxis Academy; Mrs. Adenike Aloba, Program Director, Dataphyte; Ms. Ladi Bala, President NAWOJ; Ms. Lillian Ekeanyanwu, UNODC; Dr. Ibrahim Zikirullah, Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights; Mr. Tijah Bolton-Akpan, Executive Director, Policy Alert; Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, National Coordinator, PWYP; Comrade Celestine Akpobare, National Coordinator, Ogoni Solidarity Forum; and Mr. Femi Falana SAN, Human Rights Lawyer, who delivered the keynote speech, among others. Following four presentations, discussions, and extensive deliberation, the following communique was adopted: Observations Participants observed that: Corruption poses a great threat to the Nigerian state and society and all efforts aimed at defeating it must be made. Society. The implementation of the constitutional laws has been the major challenge for Anti-Corruption Agencies. Media responsibility is below recommendation regarding corruption-based reports and its media agenda setting as what ought to be is not been put to the public space. Corruption is systemic as corrupt politicians, officials network to truncate the efforts of civil society organizations, and media in the fight against the menace. The Presidential pardon intent is an issue in the fight against corruption as it