Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, has said that corruption has impeded the country’s ability to reach its full potential.
Tajudeen spoke at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Policy Dialogue on Corruption, Social Norms and behaviour change in Nigeria.
At the event held at the ICPC Auditorium, in Abuja on Tuesday, Tajudeen said in the case of Nigeria, corruption has been widely recognized as a significant obstacle to progress.
“Despite this recognition, certain corruption-inducing behaviours, norms, attitudes, and expectations persist within our society, thereby, enabling and perpetuating acts of corruption.
“Corruption in Nigeria has been fuelled by various factors, including weak governance structures, lack of transparency and accountability, poverty, and cultural acceptance of corrupt practices.
“While we have laws, policies and institutions to tackle corruption, it is my considered opinion that corruption continues to fester owing to prevailing societal attitudes towards wealth, fame, power and success regardless of how they are obtained.
“The behavioural and social norms approach in tackling corruption is akin to cutting off the root of an evil tree than trimming its branches. After all, prevention is better than cure.
”It follows, therefore, that addressing corruption requires not only legal and institutional reforms but also a transformation of social norms and behaviours.
The Speaker defined social norms as the unwritten rules and expectations that guide individuals’ behaviour within a society or a particular group.
He noted that In many cases, corrupt practices have become normalized within society.
He said this has made it challenging to eradicate solely through legal means and for this reason, understanding and changing social norms becomes crucial to combatting corruption effectively.
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