Many Will Soon Be Discouraged To Stand Against Corruption – VP Osinbajo

TRACKING____Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has predicted that the fight against corruption will continue to get more difficult daily.

He said it would get to a point that many people would become discouraged to stand up against corruption.

Osinbajo said this in his address at the 20th anniversary regional webinar organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other offences Commission.

His Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, made copies of his remarks available to journalists on Tuesday.

The webinar was titled, “Combating corruption and illicit financial flows: New measures and strategies.”

The Vice-President said, “The fight against corruption is nuanced and hydra -headed, it is not going to get easier by the day; as a matter of fact, it will get more difficult by the day and many will become discouraged in standing up against corruption.

“But it is our duty both as individuals and institutions, especially in developing countries where corruption has such a devastating effect, to ensure that we prioritise the fight against corruption and continually devise new ways and new approaches even as the hydra-headed problem itself continues to manifest in different ways.”

Osinbajo added that while many citizens are interested in the fight against grand corruption, they also want to see action in what would be regarded as petty corruption.

He stressed that, “We must protect, even more, whistle-blowers – persons who come forward with information against corruption.

“We must protect those who are ready to fight against corruption and who are prepared to do so without necessarily disclosing their identities and even those who are ready to disclose their identities.

“The thing that we must take note of is that corruption fights back. And it is fighting back and it has the resources to do so.”