AGF praises stakeholders for efforts in anti-corruption strategy
By Kunle Sanni
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has commended stakeholders and partners for their contributions to the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) Action Plan.
This commendation was made during his welcome address at the opening of the Validation Meeting for the NACS 2022-2026 Action Plan on Friday in Abuja.
The meeting served as a crucial platform for engagement between the Attorney General and heads of anti-corruption agencies to review and validate the NACS 2022-2026 Action Plan. Fagbemi expressed his gratitude for the efforts of all stakeholders in the review process and acknowledged the continuous support from the donor partner, International DEA/ROLaC.
“Indeed, your unwavering commitment, dedication, and the financial support needed to midwife the successful implementation of the NACS Action Plan 2017 – 2021 and the review of the NACS Action Plan 2022-2026 is highly appreciated,” Fagbemi said.
He urged participants to focus on the draft NACS Action Plan, identify relevant objectives and strategies for their organizations, and commit to fully implementing the Action Plan.
Earlier in the program, Mrs. Jane Onwumere, Head of the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR) and Secretariat of the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT), described the National Anti-Corruption Strategy as a self-assessment checklist of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) that Nigeria joined in 2009.
She emphasized that the meeting aimed to breathe life into the strategy document, which seeks to minimize corruption.
“Notwithstanding the challenges, some progress was recorded, evidenced by the passage of critical legislation such as the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022, the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, and the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020, among others,” Onwumere said.
She added, “It is our expectation that the validation of the Action Plan and the establishment of relevant implementation structures will ensure the full implementation of the Strategy.”
The highlight of the event was the presentation of the NACS document by the Attorney General, who urged all implementing agencies to adopt and implement the actions outlined in the document.
Notable attendees included the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede; ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN; and Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Oniru, among other stakeholders.
