The World Bank and other stakeholders have urged the Nigerian government to fight institutional corruption as it is the only guarantee to sustainable growth and development.

Speaking at a policy conversation on the State of Anti-corruption Policy and Practice in Nigeria jointly organised by Agora Policy and MacArthur, on Tuesday, stakeholders said Nigeria must begin to reform its political recruitment process, build strong institutions, reform the judicial system and strengthen the anti-corruption fight.

World Bank Country Director, Ndiam? Diop said corruption is a big challenge to the country?s economic development, adding that entrenching fiscal transparency in Nigeria?s public service has been a herculean task.

He said institutional challenges have prevented development of innovative solutions to promote transparency and entrench fiscal data.

?We talk about transparency, but in order to have transparent reports, you need to have the data and that data needs to be accurate and reliable. And right now, the data system requires all kinds of manual processes that allow for leakages, which have long affected the system,? he lamented.

Africa director, MacArthur Foundation, Kole Shettima, said corruption is a major challenge to Nigeria?s development.

?Corruption has denied our youth the future, denied us our basic necessities including roads, electricity and education. Unless we challenge corruption, we know that our society would be more endangered,? he said while calling on the authorities to join forces with the foundation and other private sector stakeholders to reduce corruption in the society.

In the same vein, Senior Fellow, Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja, Adele Jinadu said the abuse of the power of incumbency has reached disturbing heights of impunity in the country.

?It is as if we have lost our moral bearings, as if moral rules do not matter, and as if we care less about what is right and what is wrong.

?We must also seriously address, confront and mitigate the corrosive effect of our country?s toxic, even diabolic moral and political environment, which is stifling our democratic development.

?We must begin a process of reforming our legal system in fundamental ways, and away from their excessive formalism and elitist bias, in order to engender a more progressive, activist and public interest legal culture, which will provide legal anchor for social and distributive justice as state policy,? he added. (Daily Trust)

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