Transparency International (TI) has said that Nigeria loses not less than $17 billion annually through illicit financial flows.
The executive director of TI and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Mr. Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, stated this in Abuja during a meeting of his organisation with its West Africa chapters on Wednesday.
Rafsanjani accused the political and business elite of depriving Nigerians of their entitlements through corruption in procurement.
“Our countries experience enormous challenges with public procurement, political integrity, illicit financial outflows, migration and many others. In Nigeria alone, $17 billion is lost annually to illicit financial outflows.
“Procurement is said to be responsible for 70 per cent of corruption proceeds.
“Detached political representation and unaccountable political and business elite have deprived Nigeria, and I believe most of the other African countries, of their development potential,” he said.
He stated that the issue of corruption and lack of accountability could be tackled only in coalitions and through networks.
He specifically noted that the leaders perpetrating corruption in Nigeria and other African countries through procurement process on every sector have infiltrated the education sector, taking away fundamental rights of young boys and girls.
“As the position papers show, corruption in education systems across Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has become common place, depriving citizens of their fundamental rights to personal development and the opportunity to realize their full potentials. Learning to read and write is a fundamental right,” he added.
The CISLAC director gave a breakdown of statistics on educational illiteracy in Africa according to 2017 UNESCO report.
He said 38 per cent of African adults (some 153 million) are illiterates.
He added that two-thirds of women are not able to help their children with homework due to illiteracy.
