The Akin Fadeyi Foundation has
launched FLAG’IT, a mobile application through which Nigerians can report
corrupt practices.
The application, which can be
downloaded here, enables citizens to report and to document their experiences around
corruption as well as capture evidence of corrupt practices by public officers.
The foundation said it also
enables Nigerians to “engage with government officials on issues bordering on
service delivery”.
In March, Ibrahim Magu, acting
chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said at least
N1.3 trillion public funds was diverted between 2011 and 2015, while corruption
in the power sector alone has reportedly gulped N11 trillion since 1999.
At the launch which was held in
Abuja on Thursday, Fadeyi, executive director of the foundation, said the
application was designed to enable the opening up of government institutions
for transparency and accountability.
Fadeyi, who was represented by
Simon Kolawole, founder of Cable Newspaper and chairman of the foundation’s
board of trustees, said the application is the latest of their advocacy
innovations to “empower Nigerians to demand accountability, transparency and
excellent service delivery”.
He said the innovation, which
involves partnership with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), also enables
Nigerians to document their positive stories about “outstanding public officers
and excellent service delivery”.
“At the Akin Fadeyi Foundation, we
have set a goal to ensure that Nigeria becomes that country where everyone
lives fulfilling life and are able to utilise their human and social capital to
the full extent,” he said.
“For every naira that is stolen,
there is a negative impact on the society. We are aware that the culture of
corruption has become so endemic and difficult to tackle.
“If we must end it, we must start
by talking to the man in the mirror and ask, ‘what is my role in defeating
corruption and rebuilding the Nigerian nation of our dream.”
He also spoke of the foundation’s
other advocacy efforts including continued collaboration with public
institutions such as the Open Government Partnership, the European Union,
United Nations agencies, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related
Offences Commission (ICPC), the Nigeria police and the media.
In his remarks, Kole Shettima,
director, Africa office, MacArthur Foundation, lauded the application which
challenges “us all of us to think about our own role in the society”.
“As citizens, we also have a role
to play in fighting corruption which disproportionately affects the poor,” he
said.
“The poor are the ones who
actually pay for corruption in this country in terms of education, health and
other areas because they don’t have the power and resources to overcome the
challenges of corruption.
“We work with the assumption that
all public officers are not necessarily corrupt but they need the support they
can get in carrying out their functions. Anybody, given the opportunity, can
make a difference.”
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