Former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and Former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Thursday took a deep took at Nigeria and its problems and came up with the verdict that the country is bedeviled by the twin vices of corruption and erosion of the people’s traditional values which have stunted her growth as a nation.

While Soludo noted that creation of additional states outside the four regional structure of the First Republic, the attendant post civil war oil boom and subsequent sharing of revenue from the federation account had rendered some states docile, Anyaoku bemoaned the level of corruption in Nigeria and said that right now the entire nation is being treated to the mind boggling details coming out from the fuel subsidy probe and the police pension scan.
Both Soludo and Anyaoku spoke at the 2012 Annual Faculty conference of the faculty of Arts Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.

Soludo, who spoke as the guest speaker at the occasion on the theme: “Nigeria: Towards the Creation of Incentives and Structures for Good Gover-nance”, said unless there was a new design in the system, the redesign of the 1999 Constitution and return to six regions which existed before the civil war, the country may not get it right in its quest for good governance.

On his part, Anyaoku said: “Misappropriation of public funds used to be described in millions, now it is reported in billions and even trillions. Corruption has so seriously eaten deep into the fabric of our society that it has virtually swallowed up our collective values. There is hardly any sector of our national life that has been spared this affliction, including even the family that was until recently, the last line of defence and hope.”

“We read in newspapers that some parents acquiesce in, and often support examination malpractices by their children or wards; and this is not to talk about many of our communities that approbate and festoon very rich individuals, including public servants, with dubious sources of enrichment.

“In addition to reinvigorating the work of the anti-corruption agencies like ICPC and the EFCC, and ensuring that those involved in corruption are seen to be punished, the attack on corruption in Nigeria must begin in the education sector.
“We must return to basics by remodeling our school schools’ curricula and encouraging our teachers to teach civics and the virtues of service to the community and country, in our primary and secondary schools.

“For it is only at this level of education that appropriate values can be effectively inculcated in the young thereby inuring them against inclination to corruption in later life”, Anyaoku who chaired the occasion said.

Other personalities who attended the ceremony included the Anambra state Governor, Mr. Peter Obi who was represented by Prof. Stella Okunna, and National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh among others.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/anayaoku-soludo-list-factors-stalling-nation-s-devt/115101/

Well said.

Am still wondering why the Nigerias brightest mind in the person of Solodu is not in this economic team of GEJ. This are the caliber of people that has all it takes mentally and otherwise to save Nigeria from the present economic woes.

one.east:
Well said.

Am still wondering why the Nigerias brightest mind in the person of Solodu is not in this economic team of GEJ. This are the caliber of people that has all it takes mentally and otherwise to save Nigeria from the present economic woes.

^^^Abeg they should leave the man out of their wahala- you want these unappreciative tribal champions to descend on him like they've done to Iweala and Akunyili. Let's keep him fit and waiting in the wings for Anambras' next elections.