FG urges states to adopt anti-corruption strategies

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The Federal Government has urged the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to develop and implement homegrown anti-corruption strategies, saying effective action at the subnational level is essential to improving transparency, accountability and public service delivery.

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The call was made on Wednesday at a three-day workshop on the implementation tools for the Plateau State Integrity and Accountability Strategy, PLASIAS, which commenced in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

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The workshop, which focuses on the Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation framework, operating guidelines and templates for PLASIAS, was declared open by the Head of the National Anti-Corruption Secretariat, Mrs Victoria Ojogbane, who represented the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.

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Ojogbane commended the Plateau State Government for advancing the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, saying only seven states had so far commenced the process.

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“At a recent engagement between the ICPC and the 36 Attorneys General in Abuja, I shared the scorecard. Out of 36 states, only seven have commenced subnational anti-corruption strategy implementation. I am proud to announce that Plateau State is one of the seven,” she said.

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She said Plateau had gone beyond developing its strategy by preparing an action plan that was due for validation on August 28, 2026.

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“Laws and action plans do not implement themselves. People do. All of you in this hall, and those yet to join, are critical stakeholders in implementing the State Action Plan,” Ojogbane said.

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She explained that the national framework was anchored on five pillars: prevention, public engagement, campaign for ethical reorientation, enforcement and sanctions, and recovery of proceeds of corruption.

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According to her, state-level ownership remained critical to translating the national strategy into practical reforms.

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“The federal framework provides the architecture; state implementation provides the reality,” she said.

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Ojogbane also linked corruption to poor public service delivery, saying its effects were directly felt by citizens.

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“Corruption is not abstract. It is why a clinic has no drugs, a school has no roof, and a borehole has no water. It erodes public trust. Every reform that increases transparency and accountability is an act of justice,” she said.

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She conveyed the commendation of the Attorney General to Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the Head of Service for what she described as their political will and commitment to the implementation of the strategy.

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Also speaking, the Lead Consultant on Transparency and Accountability for ROLAC, Prof. Ada Chidi Igbokwe, said the workshop was designed to provide institutions with practical tools to move PLASIAS from policy to implementation.

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“I believe that these strategies, when implemented, will strengthen transparency and accountability in the governance process across Plateau and other states that have keyed into the strategy,” Igbokwe said.

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The State Project Coordinator of ROLAC in Plateau, Mantim Dala, said lapses in accountability had weakened governance systems and affected service delivery in sectors including health, education, housing and infrastructure.

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He urged participants to use the strategy to strengthen ethical standards in public institutions, stressing that it was not designed to witch-hunt public officials.

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“The anti-corruption strategy is not actually meant to witch-hunt anyone. It actually aims to prevent such from happening, because when you know that you have done nothing wrong and you have followed due process, you have nothing to fear whether in service or out of service,” Dala said.

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The workshop, organised by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme, ROLAC, funded by the European Union and implemented by International IDEA, brought together stakeholders from ministries, departments and agencies, civil society organisations and local governments to finalise implementation structures for PLASIAS ahead of its validation.

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