Group says Poor funding bane of National Anti-corruption Strategy
By: Femi Mustapha
The Anti-corruption cluster of the Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) project has observed Poor funding of the National Anti-corruption Strategy (NACS) as the greatest challenge facing the implementation of the Strategy.
The Observations were made in a Communique after a one day stakeholder dialogue held on NACS II in Abuja.
The Communique signed by David Ugolor, Executive Director, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Benin City, Edo State. On behalf of others participants expressed that the M&E Committee in its four years received no funding from the government except funding from Development Partners like MacArthur Foundation, Centre for Democracy & Development and RoLAC.
The SCALE project being implemented by ANEEJ as anchor and her 8 cluster organisations also observed lack of knowledge and misinformation on the part of most agencies as to their expectations in the implementation of the NACS policy.

The Participants expressed dismay that most agencies are uniformed or do not understand the purport of the policy and what is expected of them in its implementation.
They opined that the NACS and its implementation have not been given adequate publicity by both the private and public media outlets and agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, the National Orientation.
The participants therefore called on the FG to make deliberate provisions in the annual budgets to fund implementation of NACS II.
“Development partners working in the sector should increase funding of both Government and Non-Government anti-corruption initiatives that aims at the implementation of the strategy.
“There is an observed lack of knowledge and misinformation on the part of most agencies as to their expectations in the implementation of the NACS policy.
“Most agencies are uniformed or do not understand the purport of the policy and what is expected of them in its implementation.
“FG should provide support to the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) to meet quarterly to interact, share intelligence and learn from each other thereby promoting collaboration amongst anti-corruption agencies.
FG should hold a roundtable with CCB, NOA, the National Commission for Films and Video Sensor Board and the media to publicize the implementation of NACS II.
“CSOs call on the Attorney General to issue the guidelines on the activation of the implementation of POCA in-line with pillar 5 of NACS to boost the fight against corruption. “the statement reads.