Nigeria’s former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Joe Abah, has emphasized the need to eliminate opportunities for corruption to foster national development.
Speaking at the 2024 behavioural change conference in Abuja, organized by the Akin Fadeyi Foundation and supported by the MacArthur Foundation, Abah stressed that corruption hinders economic growth.
“Corruption has been described by many as a binding constraint. In economics, binding constraints are those that, unless they are removed, would not allow growth and progress,” Abah said on Tuesday.
He highlighted corruption’s far-reaching consequences, including distorted economic growth, undermined public institutions, exacerbated social inequalities, scared-off foreign investors and underdeveloped human capacity.
Abah noted that waiting for corruption’s complete eradication before pursuing development is imprudent, citing China, India, Brazil and Indonesia’s rapid growth despite significant corruption.
“The key issue around corruption is the presence of opportunity… many people will perpetuate corruption regardless of need, greed, culture or ethics,” he said.
In Nigeria, where right and wrong are often blurred, he noted that relying on intrinsic values is insufficient.
His words: “However, in societies like Nigeria where the lines between right and wrong have been blurred, relying on intrinsic values is like expecting an amateur swimmer to swim against a very strong current.”
Abah advocated for behavioural approaches, emphasizing strategic communication to highlight corruption’s consequences.
“External pressure alone is not enough… billboards and catchy jingles are ineffective,” he said.
Abah recommended leveraging religiosity and intrinsic values, referencing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) document guiding preachers to use scriptural passages denouncing corruption.
“Some here may not be aware that about 10 years ago, the EFCC produced a document that went through the entire Bible and Quran and produced a guide for preachers to use in their sermons, based on scriptural passages denouncing corruption,” he added.
