Nigeria winning corruption war

2005-10-14 09:38

Abuja - Nigeria's government under President Olusegun Obasanjo is making progress in fighting corruption, a senior World Bank official said on Thursday.

Daniel Kaufmann, head of global programmes at the World Bank Institute (WBI), made his remarks after a meeting with members of Obasanjo's economic team.

"Nigeria is changing for the better. In fact, if the current momentum is maintained and deepened, the progress made in the fight against corruption could become irreversible," Kaufmann said.

Obasanjo's specially appointed economic team has the responsibility to fashion the country's economic reform programme, which also includes chasing and repatriating Nigerian wealth stolen by past leaders and stashed in foreign banks.

'Historical turning point'

He cited improved accountability, integrity in the handling of public finances, reduction in the extent of bribery in some areas like taxation and public procurement, as some merits of Nigeria's economic reforms.

"This year and 2006 may prove to be historical turning point in Nigeria's anti-corruption efforts if resolute reforms in key areas are fully implemented," Kaufmann said.

His presentation relied on worldwide governance indicators issued periodically by the World Bank. Kaufmann heads the governance and anti-corruption desk at the WBI in Washington.

However, he said, Nigeria's private sector ethics were not improving.

"The notion that corruption is an exclusively public sector affair is a myth because it takes two to tango," he observed.

Kaufmann criticised foreign firms operating in Nigeria, saying they too were not free from unethical practices. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA