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After about two years of delay, the implementation of the National Anti-corruption Strategy (NACS) of the Federal Government will take off soon. Members of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Committee of the NACS (2017-2021) are to effectively kick off the implementation with a sensitisation visit to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of Service of the Federation and some others.
Speaking at a three-day retreat of the M&E Committee in Abuja recently, the Anti-Corruption Component Manager of the European Union funded Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, Mr. Emmanuel Uche, noted that the states had gone far in the implementation of the anti-corruption strategy.
Stating that people wanted to know the signs of implementation and what the NACS implementation translated into, Uche urged members of the committee to mutually agree to move the nation forward.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the M&E Committee, Mr. Andrew Gandu, said members would never go far without working in unity. “After this workshop, we must start winning goals for Nigeria,” he said, adding, “After now, we will start visiting strategic Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to make ourselves known.”
In her own remarks, the EU-RoLAC Consultant on National Anti-Corruption Strategy, Dr. MaryIsabella Ada Igbokwe, reminded the members that they would develop the M&E template including the assessment criteria for the MDAs. She added that members would conduct annual review of the progress of the implementation of NACS and submit to the Inter-Ministerial Committee through the Attorney General of the Federation by the 30th of January of each year.
She also noted that the committee members would conduct monitoring visits to MDAs quarterly or as the need arises; produce bi-annual monitoring and evaluation reports; prepare annual evaluation report; prepare feedback, periodic training and hands-on support to the MDAs as the need arises.
The expectations as regards the anti-corruption strategy are buying-in and compliance of MDAs to NACS as well as reduction of corruption in MDAs. The mission is to provide a holistic National Anti-Corruption Strategy for all sectors and stakeholders in the fight against corruption.
At the end of the retreat, M&E Committee members identified 26 pilot MDAs which they will monitor and evaluate in the next one year. For easier monitoring and evaluation, the committee was subdivided into six teams with each team having the mandate of visiting different MDAs.
The NACS, which is domiciled in the office of the AGF and Minister of Justice, is a creation of the Federal Government. It is funded by the European Union and managed by the British Council.
