The Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption, PACAC, has taken a swipe at the Organised Labour for demanding to be included in the advisory committee on the fight against corruption.
The acting Secretary of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Simeso Amachree, had called for members of the organised labour be incorporated into the committee. This call was backed by a member of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Adekola Adetomiwa.
According to Amachree, the task of fighting corruption would be more effective if they include one member each from the TUC, the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and the civil society, adding that organised labour has the structures to make the work of the committee reach millions of Nigerians.
Adetomiwa, on his part, held that for labour leaders to key into the anti-corruption fight, they “need to be carried along”.
But reacting to the suggestions, members of the anti-corruption committee described labour leaders as “corrupt and compromised”.
The Director of the Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Abuja, Femi Odekunle said that instead of Labour leaders to push for membership of the anti-corruption advisory committee, the labour union should use their power to fight corruption.
According to him, “Korea for the past one month, from 10,000 to 30,000 to about 2 million now, they are insisting that they will not agree with what the president had done, they are not fighting, they are just.
“Now if you don’t like any particular policy, whether it’s forex, whether it’s subsidy, whether it’s education, why don’t you mobilise your people and be able to persevere for one week, two weeks, one month until you achieve your objectives?
“Instead of doing two days, then go to the back door, go and meet at the Villa and then you give up because your leaders have agreed.
“I want to emphasise this matter, your responsibility, you must attend to it and you have not been doing so.”
Another member of the advisory committee, Etannibi Alemika, said the union members are grandstanding in a national issue that should be handled with seriousness.
Alemika, a professor of criminology and sociology of law, said, “We are talking about Nigeria’s problem of corruption, you are posturing yourself as if PACAC has a problem in their advisory role and you have to help them solve it.
“I don’t think that is the issue. The issue is simply, what can we do in our respective sectors to solve the problem of corruption? That is the main issue here. not that you have the strategy to solve the problem and you are not incorporated.”
Chairman of the Committee, Professor Itse Sagay, however pointed out that people do not need to belong to PACAC to fight corruption.
According to him, “PACAC is not made up of representatives of any groups or sectors.
“Fight corruption from your own organisation. And if we invite you, participate, you don’t have to say unless you are a member of PACAC.
“How many members will PACAC have if it invites people from every sector? I think that’s a very negative attitude.”
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