Anti-graft Agencies Raise the Alarm, Say Corruption, Illicit Financial Flows, Fueling Military Takeovers in W’Africa

Kingsley Nwezeh

Anti-graft agencies yesterday raised the alarm that endemic corruption, illicit financial flows by Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) and the inability of member States of the sub-regional block, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to meet the requirements of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption was fueling military takeovers in West Africa.

Speaking in Abuja at the 5th General Assembly of the National Anti-Corruption Agencies in West Africa themed: “The Role of Regional Economic Communities in the Implementation of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption”, Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof Bolaji Owosanoye, said the failure of member States to tackle corruption was behind unconstitutional change of governments in the sub-region.

“We are all aware that corruption is a significant contributory factor to Africa’s underdevelopment. One can surmise that the inability of our institutions to fully implement our individual mandates and by implication the regional treaty obligations is a contributing factor to the resurgence of unconstitutional take over of government within the West African sub-region”, he said.

Speaking in the same vein at the event, Chairman of EFCC, Mr Bawa Abdulrasheed, linked security challenges in the sub-region to corruption.

“As you may be aware, the ECOWAS sub-region is threatened by existential security challenges which may not be unrelated directly or indirectly to corruption.

“We must, therefore, intensify efforts to stem the spate of illicit financial flows in the region including illicit flows by Politically Exposed Persons (PEP)”, he said.