#Editorial

Corruption threatens democracy, good governance!

Aug 23, 2022, 10:23 AM

Former Mexican economist and diplomat, who once served as Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),  José Ángel Gurría Treviño once said that integrity, transparency and the fight against corruption have to be part of the culture.

They have to be taught as fundamental values.

This clearly explains the deep rooted and delicate nature of corruption in today's world.

This worldwide phenomenon has been around as far back as the history of humanity.

And anywhere this activity flourishes, there is high conspiracy of actors mostly involving those in authority.

But what makes this menace a concern to all is that it tends to weaken economies, thereby threatening democracy and good governance.

For a country to make any meaningful progress, state actors and CSOs must fight against this global menace. It exists in almost every part of the globe. It  is more visible and easily noticeable in poor and developing countries though.

To end this global menace, there is need for a robust and coordinated mechanism and policies backed by sound and efficient institutional framework that would account for government spending and returns.

This also reminds us about the need for the establishment of anti-corruption laws to deter criminals and officials bent on squandering public funds for personal use.

In many African countries this type of commission serves as watchdogs of any shoddy dealing involving officials. To some extent, they've made headways in addressing the root causes of this problem.

Many agreed that finding the root causes of a problem would inform one in finding a solution to it.

Any serious government that is committed to the development of its citizens must first fight against this cankerworm.

Until then, this dreadful misconduct would continue to flourish to give way to criminal syndicates to undermine the development process of Nations. And this if not handled maturely, makes communities and even countries ungovernable due to surge in crime and nefarious activities.