UK to help Nigeria's corruption fight with £20m program

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - The U.K. is to support Nigeria's anti-corruption fight with a £20 million anti-graft program designed to assist in the campaign, the Department for International Development (DfID), an agency of the British government said Thursday.

Olive Blake, a DfID representative, said at the opening of a two-day corruption dialogue in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, that London was also committed to facilitating the return of public funds stashed across U.K. banks pending the conclusions of ongoing judicial processes.

"I am happy to announce that U.K... has approved a £20m anti-corruption program to support Nigeria's enforcement and behavioural change efforts," Blake said.

"This programme should start later this year. (Once again), we continue to stand with Nigeria as we tackle corruption together and build more accountable institutions which deliver services, prosperity and security for all," he added.

The official said corruption often led to conflict, famine and mass death.

"We [the U.K. and Nigeria] both share a determination to root out this blight called corruption (because of its effects) on the growth of the economy and national collective security.

"So we are partners in the fight against corruption. Corruption is bad for development, it is bad for the poor and it takes public trust from officials of public institutions," he said.

Nigeria's acting President Yemi Osinbajo, for his part, said there was no turning back in the fight against sleaze, saying: "as President Buhari has said, corruption will kill Nigeria if we don't kill corruption."

He called on his countrymen to join the government's efforts to block continuous stealing of public funds, saying a culture of people celebrating corrupt people had to be discouraged by everyone.

Transparency International rates Nigeria among the world's most corrupt nations. Buhari has made fighting corruption a cornerstone of his administration, although he faces allegations of shielding some of his officials named in corrupt practices. The president often asks his critics to present evidence against such officials.