Police most corrupt institution in Nigeria- SERAP survey

 

A new public survey released today by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) reports high levels of corruption in public institutions in Nigeria for the past 5 years. Of the five major public institutions surveyed, the police emerge as the most corrupt, with the power sector identified as the second most corrupt in the country today.

Other public institutions identified as corrupt by 70% of Nigerians surveyed are: the judiciary, education and health ministries. The survey reveals that the level of corruption has not changed in the last 5 years.

The latest report by SERAP entitled Nigeria: Corruption Perception Survey was launched today at the Sheraton Hotels, Lagos.

According to the survey, “a bribe is paid in 54% of interactions with the police. In fact, there is a 63% probability that an average Nigerian would be asked to pay a bribe each time he or she interacted with the police.  That is almost two out of three.”

The chair of the report launch Professor Akin Oyebode said: “Nigeria is looked upon as a giant of Africa. Yet Nigeria could not conduct free, fair and credible elections. It is a smear on the image of Nigeria. If we do away with selective enforcement and condonation of corruption, we will build and live in a better society. Corruption is a refined form of stealing. The politicians are stealing our common patrimony. Development of the people is almost inversely proportional to the level of corruption.”

The report read in part: “Corruption remains a significant impediment to law enforcement, access to justice and basic public services such as affordable healthcare, education, and electricity supply. Several Nigerians have to pay a bribe to access police, judiciary, power, education and health services. Corruption is still a key concern in the country with 70% of Nigerians describing the level of corruption as high and in the same measure, stating that corruption levels either increased or remained the same in the last five years.”

“The national survey carried out between September and December 2018, covered the police, judiciary, power, education and health sectors to assess the state of corruption in law enforcement and public service provision.”

“From the analysis of the anti-corruption legal and institutional framework in Nigeria, the following cross-cutting issues emerged: there is lack of political goodwill to consistently enforce the different anti-corruption laws; inadequate funding for the various anti-corruption agencies; weak public support and/or ownership of anti-corruption initiatives; poor clarity of roles between various anti-corruption agencies; and public perceptions of politicisation of corruption arrests and prosecutions.”

“Bribery experiences were interrogated and recorded in the key sectors of education, health, the police, judiciary and power. Data analysis was conducted under five different and interrelated variables. There was a 63% probability that an average Nigerian would be asked to pay a bribe each time he/she interacted with the police.  The likelihood of bribery in the power sector stood at 49%.  With the chances of encountering bribery at the judiciary, education and health services standing at 27%, 25% and 20% respectively.”

“The police were the most adversely ranked on this indicator. For every 100 police interactions reported by the respondents, there was a bribe paid in 54 interactions. The prevalence levels stood at 37% in the power sector and 18% in education,17.7% in the judiciary and 14% in the health sector.”

“51% of the individuals that paid bribes to the police and 35% to the power sector believed this was the only way to access the services sought from the institutions. The ranking of the education sector and the judiciary was less adverse with 16% perceiving bribery as the main avenue of accessing services in the institutions, and health services recording 13%.”

“The police and judiciary had the largest proportion of total bribes paid at 33% and 31% respectively. Bribes paid for education, power and health services accounted for 19%, 10.9 and 5% respectively of all bribes reported. The average amount of bribe paid by the respondents was highest among those who paid to the judiciary at about Naira 108,000 (US$ 298). All the other institutions ranked lower on this variable with Naira 12,253 and 11,566 reportedly paid to the police and education sectors, and Naira 6,462 and 5,143 paid for health and power services respectively.”

“Perceptions on corruption trends in Nigeria show almost 70% of the respondents perceived the current level of corruption as high compared to 15.5% that felt it was low.  70% of the respondents said corruption levels either increased or remained the same in the last five years. Only a quarter of the respondents felt corruption reduced in this period.”

“About 41% of the respondents projected that corruption will either increase or remain the same in the next year. About a third of the respondents (31.5%) believed the ruling elite are pursuing their selfish interests only therefore corruption levels will increase into the future. Additionally, about a quarter of the respondents (24.9%) believed the current anti-corruption efforts are not comprehensive enough. The poor state of the economy was also seen as a driving factor to increased corruption at 17.2%.”

“Respondents identified poor coordination among the different state players as a key obstacle at 18.4%. Lack of political will from the government and weak public support were ranked second at 12%. Civic action against poor governance: 54.8% of the respondents reported that they had not taken any action against poor governance. That more than a half of the respondents were unwilling to initiate action is alarming and points to low confidence levels that appropriate measures would be taken even if the respondents took action.”

“This assumption is buttressed by the finding that 82% of the actions taken were either not responded to or deemed sufficiently appropriate. Low civic action may also indicate low levels of public awareness on what redress mechanisms exist or how to access them.”

“The Federal government should establish an independent commission of inquiry to conduct a transparent, comprehensive, and impartial investigation into systemic corruption within the Nigeria Police Force, judiciary, and the ministries of power, education and health.”

“The Inspector General of Police should receive and investigate complaints of bribery and corruption against police officers filed by members of the public. The police should liaise with community leaders and civil society organisations in regard to incidents of police bribery and corruption within the community.”

“The Chief Justice of Nigeria and the National Judicial Council should identify and review all outstanding cases of judicial corruption and refer such cases to appropriate anti-corruption agencies. They should apply the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers in a consistent and transparent manner, with full respect for the fundamental guarantees of fair trial and due process.”

“The Chief Justice of Nigeria and the NJC should publish annual reports of all activities involving the judiciary, including expenditure, and provide the public with reliable information about its governance and organisation, including the number of judges found to be corrupt, as well as ensure that the Chief Justice of Nigeria and all other judges make periodic asset disclosures.”

“The National Assembly should move swiftly to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act to ensure public access to asset declarations made by public officials, and urgently pass the Proceeds of Crime Bill, the Whistleblowers Bill, and the Witness Protection Bill among other relevant pieces of legislation.”

“The National Assembly should immediately publish all reports of investigations on corruption and corruption-related matters in the judiciary, education, power and health sectors among others that have been conducted by the National Assembly since the return of democracy in 1999.”

“A positive legacy by the in-coming administration on 29 May 2019 and the recently appointed Inspector General of Police will mean improving accountability of the police, and proactively working to end all forms of corruption within the rank and file of the police. The Inspector General of Police should streamline and prioritise internal control mechanisms by establishing an Ethics and Integrity Unit at each police station. The unit should include a human rights officer, an anti-corruption officer, and an officer responsible for service delivery complaints.”

“The survey targeted a total of 2,655 respondents selected from seven states spread across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria and the capital city of Abuja. The sample was proportionate to population size across these zones. The survey covered the police, judiciary, power, education and health sectors to assess the state of corruption in public law enforcement and service provision.”

“Data for the survey was collected through a survey among ordinary citizens picked through simple random sampling of Nigerians above 18 years; in-depth interviews with key governance experts including representatives of national anti-corruption bodies, trade unions, the business community, media, lawyers, academia, people living with disability and university student leaders; and a review of the legal and institutional frameworks guiding anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria to assess their effectiveness.”

 

Air Peace decorates 2 new captains, insists on high safety standards

West Africa’s biggest carrier, Air Peace on Monday elevated two members of its flight crew to the rank of captain, urging them to sustain the high safety standards the carrier is reputed for.

Speaking during the decoration of Mr  Oluwasegun Fatonade and Mr William Devine as captains at Air Peace Corporate Headquarters in Lagos, the carrier’s Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Allen Onyema said he was proud that they scaled the tough tests for donning the four-bar epaulette.

The rigorous requirements the new captains were subjected to, he insisted, were necessary to ensure they were qualified for the high quality of the airline’s flight operations.

He said Air Peace would continue to reward excellence as a pro-staff organisation and ensure that its workers were promoted without regard to ethnicity and favouritism.

“I’m one of the happiest persons today. I take pride in seeing people grow. We are pro-staff. In our own little way, we try to ensure that staff enjoy their time here. Anyone can become anything they want to be here without discrimination.

“I don’t meddle in matters involving selection and elevation of our flight crew. It is strictly on merit. For the flight crew training team to have adjudged the new captains worthy of flying for Air Peace, they really must be good. It says a lot about their quality.

" The tough tests they passed through before being selected for elevation as captains was necessary to ensure the sustenance of the high standards of our flight operations.

“It’s not everyone that was tested that made it. I urge the new captains to continue to work hard to sustain the high quality of our flight operations. The position of a captain is one that comes with huge responsibility, but I have no doubt they will excel in their new roles,” Onyema said.

Also,  Air Peace Head of Training, Capt. Ndubisi Ekwempu, who presented the new captains to Onyema for decoration, described them as hardworking and dedicated members of the flight crew.

Their elevation to the left seat, he said, was well deserved. He, however, urged Captains Fatonade and Devine not to rest on their oars.

He commended Air Peace chairman for giving the training team the liberty to do their job uninfluenced. Ekwempu praised the flight crew training team for working hard to produce the new captains.

National Development: The Private Sector Experience in the Nigerian Aviation Industry

National Development: The Private Sector Experience in the Nigerian
Aviation Industry By Eniola Ade-Solanke

Development is not rocket science, neither is it a mere game of chess. It has to be conscious and deliberate. Development is critical and essential to the sustenance and growth of any nation. A country is classified as developed only when is able to provide qualitative life for her citizenry.

According to research, a critical assessment of Nigeria’s development despite her abundance in human, natural and material resources reveals that the
country is yet to achieve the desired expectations as clamoured by her
citizens.

The growth of the agricultural sector, a system of mass education,
growth of local industries, export-oriented strategy, the discipline of leadership,
existence of effective bureaucracy, human resources development,
encouragement of a dynamic private sector working in co-operation with the
government towards a society-wide vision of development, institutional ability building and attention to the problems of governance, consistency and policy stability are key influencing actors critical to the development of our nation.

Only recently, our next door neighbour, Ghana, took everyone by surprise with
the launching of new Kotoka International Airport, Accra, with state-of-the-art
facilities and an imposing edifice that has become an attraction and
destination for tourists.

This feat was no doubt achieved within the shortestperiod possible with its government’s support.

In the case of Nigeria, the agency under whose care the nation’s airports are
domiciled, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), have been in the
public eye for quite a while – not necessarily on positive notes as the case with Kotoka Airport, but mostly about its unbridled controversies with
concessionaires and other investors in the industry.

Is it gratifying, for all intents and purposes for this agency to always be in the public eye primarily owing to its avowed mission to stifle the progressive efforts of investors? Rather than being impartial, they have assumed combined and conflicting roles as both competitors and regulators.

Or isn’t it necessary for government to provide the much needed support, atmosphere and enabling
environment for the nation’s aviation to thrive and compete favourably
among the league of nations of the world, like Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia,
Kenya, Egypt, Malaysia, United Arab Emirate (UAE) e.tc?

This appalling situation owing to a legion of factors not only frustrate
infrastructure development in Nigeria and sets us at the backseat of national
development, it does beg for an alternative solution.

If as a country, we are still at the stage where there are no proper heath care systems, where power
generation and supply is still a challenge, where access to quality education
is an issue, where so many things that require government input is lacking, then
why not provide an enabling environment for private sector investors?

The Public Private Partnership (PPP) model has worked in the development of
sectors such as energy, mining, transport and telecommunication in other
countries. The John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminal 4 (JFK Terminal 4) was the first major terminal to be managed by a foreign airport operator (Schiphol Group) in the United States.

It is the only non-airline, privately￾operated terminal at JFK. In May 1997, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey awarded a concession contract to JFK International Air Terminal LLC (JFKIAT), a subsidiary of the Schiphol Group, to operate, manage and maintain Terminal 4 until 2043.

According to the concession, JFKIAT was in charge of expanding the Terminal 4 and upgrading the airport infrastructure, which includes nine new international gates, customs and border security facilities and additional baggage space. JFK remains one of the best air terminal
models for the 21st century.

It would take more than words to achieve a Public Private Partnership (PPP)
that works and it is only when such collaborations work that the country can
enjoy the benefits. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO), a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is a partnership between the public
sector and the private sector for the purpose of delivering a project or a service traditionally provided by the public sector.

The advantage of a Public Private
Partnership is that the management skills and financial acumen of private
businesses could create better value for money for taxpayers when proper
cooperative arrangements between the public and private sectors are used.

However, in Nigeria, there is apathy towards the practical operation of this
model stemming from the attitude of Government; lack of investor security;
lack of respect for the sanctity of contracts and the rule of law.

Under this scenario, the case involving Bi-Courtney Limited, operators of the
MMA2 airport terminal is certainly not a good poster for the country. The MMA2
airport has made it easy for the travelling public to get better service than any
other airport in the country.

It has introduced innovation to air transport management and has been publicly adjudged the best terminal in the country owing to constant maintenance of modern facilities, technology
innovations, and good service to provide faster, safer and more customer
friendly experience for terminal users.

One must therefore celebrate the
promoters of MMA2 for resilience and doggedness for a rightfully earned
reputation in the Nigeria’s aviation industry through the demonstration of the positive possibilities for national advancement through Public-Private
Partnership against all odds.

The concern though, is that after 12years of such monumental success, no one
has been able to replicate such a facility or undertake similar private sector
investment, instead FAAN has decided to sell our fortune to the Chinese by
investing in an infrastructure that has not been completed in the last 6years.

Meanwhile the MMA2 which remains the Nation’s PPP pioneer success story
and a key employer of labour was completed in just 3years.

This PPP mechanism has influenced employment creation, leading to gainful
employment of an army of unemployed including capacity development for
skilled workers, which is a mainstream contributing factor for the boost of any
economy.

Going by these reality, it is obvious the only way for development to happen
in Nigeria is to attract the private sector to play a critical part in this journey. If
only more great Nigerians will heed the current call of the masses by assisting
Govt. to provide quality service in all sectors in the economy.

Interestingly, there have been ongoing engagement and sensitization by
officials of the same government on development, transformation,
collaboration etc. and the need to give PPP a chance since government
alone can no longer shoulder the responsibility of providing all necessary
critical infrastructure for the country at large.

But how best do you convince serious minded investors about the PPP
arrangement when local investors are being treated as unwanted partners?

When relevant agencies who are to create the enabling environment for
genuine private sector participation in the infrastructure development of the
nation’s aviation sector, across all levels, routinely breach binding agreements
/ contracts with sheer impunity and pay lip service to the ease of doing
business in Nigeria.

Clearly, there is a need to look inward to see to how the sector can move
forward, mine business opportunities available in air transportation services forinvestors and all key stakeholders in order to improve both the airport and
national economy and discontinue dissipating energy on how to fight
perceived enemies within.

The industry is begging for serious attention. The increasing influence of airports in the development of the region where they are located makes this matter one that requires unwavering attention.

This age-long tradition of inherent economic sabotage cannot take the sector anywhere. It’s high time to borrow
best ideas, global best practices and apply concepts that have truly been
impactful – all for the benefit of this struggling industry and our Nation at large.

Air Peace emerges best airline at Nigeria Travel Awards

Air Peace has again been chosen as Nigeria’s best airline, garnering 44.7 percent of the total votes cast in the domestic airlines category of the third edition of the Nigeria Travel Awards organised by Jumia Travel in Lagos on Monday.

The airline beat five other domestic carriers to clinch the “Best Local Airline of the Year” award. The first runner-up in the category came far behind with 15.6 percent of the total votes cast. Air Peace also picked the award for 2017.

The winner of the award was chosen by members of the public through a simple online poll that closed on March 6. The airline with the highest number of votes picked the award.

Speaking at the awards ceremony in Lagos, the Managing Director of Jumia Travel Nigeria and Ghana, Ms Omolara Adagunodo said the event was organised to celebrate and encourage those excellently acquitting themselves in their different spheres of operation.

Air Peace was represented at the awards by its Corporate Communications Manager, Mr Chris Iwarah, Assistant Customer Relations Manager, Mrs Patricia Ebilah and Corporate Communications Executive, Mr Efe Osifo-Whiskey.

Speaking after receiving the award, Iwarah assured that Air Peace was in the airline business to do Nigeria and Africa proud. The airline, he assured, would continue to sustain the high standards it was reputed for.

He said the carrier was poised to compete on the same platform with its counterparts across the world, especially with its soon-to-commence long-haul flights to Sharjah, Dubai, London, Houston, Guangzhou, Mumbai and Johannesburg.

He urged members of the flying public to continue to patronise Air Peace, assuring that the airline would neither disappoint them nor compromise the safety of its customers and crew.