By TINA TIMOTHY

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has said that Nigeria is still battling with a high level of corruption and inefficiency.

The former Anambra state governor, who joined the rest of the world to commemorate the United Nations Public Service Day, on his verified X handle @PeterObi, on Sunday, June 23, 2024 while recognizing the priceless contributions of public servants to the nation, lamented that corruption, abuse of office, high cost of governance, inefficiency and other bottlenecks are still holding down the public service.

He wrote: “Today, I like to join the global community in commemorating the United Nations Public Service Day which serves to celebrate the inestimable values of the public service to the nation.

“On this day, we recognise the priceless contributions of our public servants to the nation, while we are fashioning out ways to achieve a more effective and committed public service. In our dear nation, burdened by corruption, abuse of office, high cost of governance, inefficiency and other bottlenecks holding down our public service, we must rethink our public service delivery and make it more people-oriented while focusing on improving the quality of policy making and execution.”

Expressing worry on the nation’s ranking on both the Transparency International on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and MO Ibrahim Index of African Governance, Obi further emphasized the importance of integrity and efficiency in Nigeria’s public service, urging all to “rededicate ourselves to the three pillars of public service: Merit, Integrity, Innovation,” adding that “together, we will build a New Nigeria for all.

“With a ranking of 145^thout of 180 countries measured by Transparency International on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), our dear nation still battles a high level of systemic corruption in governance.

“The MO Ibrahim Index of African Governance shows that Nigeria scores 47.7 out of 100.0 in overall governance, ranking 30^thout of 54 in Africa. Those who hold public offices at all levels must understand that their actions and inactions have far-reaching impacts on governance, and thus, must put on the garments of integrity, hard work, productivity and efficiency in service delivery. May we therefore, on this day, rededicate ourselves to the three pillars of public service: Merit, Integrity, Innovation and through our offices, contribute to the unity, peace, and progress of our nation.

“Together, we will build a New Nigeria for all,” he added.