Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTIW) has called for measures to improve access to public information to promote good governance through tansparency, integrity and accountability in the public sector.
The centre believed that such measures was necessary to strengthen existing initiatives on transparency and integrity which are the pillars that minimise acts of corruption.
The chairman of the board of CeFTIW, Angela Nworgu stated this during a capacity training for journalists in Abuja organised in collaboration with Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development on critical themes that are essential in advancing tansparency, integrity and accountability in the public sector.
The capacity building seek ways to deepen the conversation on improving open governance and strengthening integrity mechanisms to stimulate good governance in Nigeria.
Declaring the event open, Mrs Nworgu said that the organisation recognised the efforts of existing anti-corruption measures that have led to remarkable prosecutions but identified the need to do more on the prevention side.
She said, “You are all aware of the challenges that the country has been facing in terms of insecurity, corruption, terrorism and low level of budget implementation across several sectors of the economy, at the center, we recognise the efforts of existing anti-corruption measures that have led to remarkable prosecutions but we identified the need a lot more on the prevention side.
It is for this reason that we sought the partnership of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, where we believe is the right platform to leverage on and strengthen existing initiatives on transparency and integrity – the pillars that minize acts of corruption”.
A lot has been done by the BPSR as well as the center. So today, our objective is to sensitize particularly the media, which is why the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development is also a paryner; and other civil society organizations within the anti-corruption space on measures taken so far – to seek ways to deepen the conversation on improving open governance and strengthening integrity mechanisms of the public sector”, she added.
Director-general, BPSR, Ibrahim Dasuki said relevant stakeholders need to support government initiatives around public service reforms and innovations that are designed to promote open government.
Also speaking, CeFTIW executive director, Umar Yakubu tasked journalist to leverage Freedom of Information and other acts to seek information and hold government accountable for good governance.
