DAG hosts anti-corruption townhall meetings across Jigawa

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The Dispute Resolution and Development Initiative formerly known as Democratic Action Group (DAG) last week hosted series of community sensitization meetings on anti-corruption across the three emirates of Jigawa state: Hadejia, Gumel and Ringim.

The townhall meetings were organised by DAG in collaboration of with Action Aid Nigeria under the Strengthening Citizens Resistance Against Prevalence of Corruption (SCRAP-C) project, a subset of the larger UK Department for International Development’s Anti-Corruption in Nigeria (ACORN) programme.

The objectives of the meetings were to create grassroots awareness on corruption, expose the ills of corrupt practices and get citizens buy-in in the fight against corruption; expose participants to the various channels of reporting corruption and corrupt practices; as well form the Jigawa State Anti-Corruption Network (JIGNETWORK).

Speaking during one of the three townhall meetings on anti-corruption in Gumel, the Executive Director of Democratic Action Group (DAG), Dr Muhammad Mustapha decried the fact that corruption had become endemic across the Nigerian society.

“Corruption is endemic in our society; we are all engaging in one form of corrupt act or another, in schools, hospitals, and on the road. Corruption is a destroyer not just of human prosperity but people’s chances to grow and be better. It undermines a government’s revenue which limits its capability to invest in areas that enhances productivity,” he told participants from across the Gumel Emirate in Gumel.

Dr Mustapha therefore urged the participants to join hands with the government’s anti-corruption and security agencies working in Jigawa state, in order to stamp out corruption from the state. He added that until the people stop seeing the fight against corruption as a business of the government alone – by actively participating in the campaign against corruption – the menace will continue to thrive in Jigawa, denying the people of the state quality service delivery in the areas of health, education, water and electricity supply.

Similar townhall meetings were held at Hadejia and Ringim emirates all of which had in attendance representatives of security agencies, religious and traditional leaders, market associations, community-based organisations (CBOs) as well as youth and women groups. At the end of each of the townhall meetings, a branch of the Jigawa State Anti-Corruption Network (JIGNETWORK) was established in the respective emirates while excos were also elected for each of the branches of JIGNETWORK across the 3 emirates.