Govs, UNODC, NBS Meet Over Corruption At Subnational Level

By Matthew Ogune, Abuja
WORRIED by the trend of corruption nationwide, Governors of the 36 states of the federation habe disclosed plans to meet with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to review corruption trend at the subnational level as analysed by the National Bureau for Statistics (NBS).
The NBS in its second survey on bribery and other forms of corruption, titled “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends,” provided the actual experiences of Nigerians in the course of their different interactions with public officials in the country.  
According to the 2019 survey, roughly 117 million bribes are paid in Nigeria on a yearly basis. This translates to a total of around N675 billion paid in cash bribes to public officials in 2019, at an average bribe size of N5,754. The NBS said the total amount corresponds to 0.52 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria.   
The survey, which was conducted in May and June 2019 in collaboration with the UNODC and UK Aid, covered more than 33,000 households across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the NBS, the results of the survey will provide the government and the Nigerian people with an opportunity to assess progress that has been made with anticorruption, the framework for evaluating the impact of related progress, and also identify possible gaps in the anti-corruption agenda.
In a statement from the Governor’s Secretariat in Abuja signed by it’s Head, Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the forum has also summoned the Statistician General, Dr Yemi Kale to join the governors in their 12th teleconference meeting to shed light on the subject since the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic.
According to Bello-Barkindo,the meeting which will take place tomorrow, Wednesday 8th July 2020, and commence at 2 pm will also feature a representative of the UNODC Oliver Stolpe.
He added that the implementation of the 5 percent user’s charge by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) will also be presented to the governors by the agency boss as two of the three presentations for meeting.
Statement reads in part: “Before the two above, the National Gas Expansion Program (NGEP) will be tabled before the governors by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipriye Sylva. The rubric will revolve around “Expanding Domestic Gas Supply and Stimulating Demand in the Country,” soon after the opening remarks by the Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr John Kayode Fayemi”
“An invitation from the Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Mr Asishana Bayo Okauru to the governors lists the issues to be discussed at the meeting including an update from the Governor of Delta State Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and his committee’s interface with the Presidential Task Force, on Covid-19, and its new emphasis on community spread, particularly regarding how best to mitigate the development”
“The governors will also discuss the Executive Order 10, 2020 – Financial Autonomy for the Legislature & Judiciary of States among other matters, apart from taking a critical look at the nation’s economic sustainability, post Covid-19, giving special attention to the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA); a Compendium of State-Owned Moribund Companies & Commercial Entities; the Infrastructure Refund to the remaining Five (5) States – RV; BY; CRS; ON; OS which is still ongoing”
“Governors are expected to start joining the meeting from 1 pm as it starts at 2 pm.”