Leading with Integrity: Inspiring Stories of Ethical Leadership | Edition 2
Accountability Lab
Supporting active citizens, responsible leaders and accountable institutions around the world.
Mrs Elijah's courageous, impactful fight against COVID-19 corruption in Abia State
By Abdulrazaq Hassan
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic in 2020, a declaration that not only put many world activities at a standstill but also overwhelmed global health sector preparedness. The disease outbreak which was first identified in Wuhan, China, in 2019 has led to over 7 million fatalities worldwide so far.? Covid-19? pushed most countries to seek new ways of strengthening health systems.
Despite responses from government and private quarters like the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), in Nigeria, the health sector remained largely the same in terms of sub-optimal healthcare service delivery, with recurring factors such as the shortage of human and material resources, underfunding and poor motivation of health workers.
The first case of COVID-19 in Nigeria was recorded in 2020 as the case toll climbed globally. Cases climbed similarly in Nigeria, overstretching the healthcare system which caters for an estimated 200 million people.
Against this backdrop, Mrs. Ekahe Elijah, a public health practitioner, was posted to Abia state as a frontline supervisor to help carry out testing.
How One Man Is Leading The Revolution Against Corruption And Promoting Transparency In Nigeria’s Healthcare System
By Adisa-Jaji Azeez
In a remarkable display of integrity and courage, Dr. Kara Adams a principal medical officer at the Federal Medical Centre in Bauchi State, has taken a bold stand against entrenched corruption within the institution.?
Dr. Adams, who has served at the medical center for a remarkable 20 years – 8 as a member of the Anticorruption and Transparency Unit of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) department of the hospital – has exposed numerous fraudulent activities, leading to significant reforms and the recovery of millions of naira in misappropriated funds. His efforts have garnered widespread acclaim from both colleagues and the community, positioning him as an inspiration in the fight against corruption in Nigeria’s healthcare sector. His efforts have seen him rewarded by the hospital for his outstanding integrity and honesty.
In Nigeria, corruption in the healthcare sector is a widespread issue with devastating consequences for patients and society as a whole. From pharmaceutical companies engaging in illegal kickbacks, to healthcare providers falsifying medical records, corruption can erode public trust in the healthcare system. It can also lead to over-prescription of unnecessary medications, and ultimately undermine the quality and safety of healthcare services.
How Dedicated Civil Defence Staff Reaffirms Trust in Nigerian Security Personnel
By Angela Omale
In a two-decade career with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abiola Jimoh has consistently demonstrated dedication, integrity, and a commitment to protecting others, which has made her a shining star in a society where integrity is often in short supply.
Corruption and malpractice have long plagued Nigeria’s security sector, undermining public confidence in state institutions.. Recent reports have highlighted serious misconduct within the NSCDC, including high-ranking officials involved in fraud, employment scams, and failure to pay contractors. One notable case is the recent conviction of a Commandant on nine counts of employment fraud by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Jimoh is a Divisional Officer who has worked in various departments within the NSCDC. She has shown that despite the news about corrupt officials, there are many others who uphold integrity consistently. She has been involved in different departments, including the Finance Department, which she joined in 2015. In that capacity, she handled the disbursement of funds, managed financial accounts, analyzed monetary expenditures, including those related to procurement, and defended financial reports for the organization at the National Assembly.
Fighting temptation in higher institution: The Story of Mrs. Plangnan Danjuma Kumbak
By Makcit Rindap
According to Transparency International, 41% of people globally believe that the education sector is extremely corrupt. It also adds that corruption is a major obstacle to achievingSDG4 (quality education) and to realising the universal right to education. Interestingly, analysts and scholars have suggested education as one of the ways to fight corruption, but what happens when corruption becomes part and parcel of the education sector?
An article on Corruption and the Education Sector by Attahiru Jega highlights bribery and extortion of money from students/parents for admission or grades, and/or for issuance of transcripts, as types of corrupt practices prevalent in the education sector. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (Jamb) registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, recently stated that between 2017 and 2020, over one million students were illegally admitted into various universities. In the same article,???
This was, however, not the case with Mrs. Danjuma Kumbak, a lecturer at the General Studies Education Department at the Federal College of Education (FCE) Pankshin. Her decision to insist on students getting their true grades rather than padded results earned her a nomination for an Accountability Lab Nigeria Integrity Icon Award for a ‘person with integrity in the education sector’ in 2020.
Kumbak was faced with the choice of succumbing to or resisting bribe offers, but she chose the latter.
Mustapha Olasupo: Braving The Odds To Challenge Corrupt Practices In OSCOTECH
By Aisha Gambo
领英推荐
Since 1993, Mustapha Ayoola Olasupo has been an administrative staff of Osun State College of Technology (OSCOTECH), working in various departments. In 2013, he joined the academic staff and began lecturing in the Department of Estate Management and Valuation.
As a state owned college of education, there have been several allegations of corrupt practices, particularly involving back door admissions with fake results and the issuing of counterfeit certificates. An April 2024 bulletin of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) revealed that at least 1,665 fake results were uncovered during the direct entry registration process.
JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed this figure during a meeting with the National Association of Nigeria Colleges of Education Students (NANCES) leadership in Abuja. Of these fake results, 397 were from colleges of education, 453 were university diplomas, and the remainder were A-Level certificates.?
These allegations are not new to Olasupo, who has been involved in admissions, exams, and issuing certificates throughout his career at OSCOTECH. His commitment to integrity has made him a key figure in combating corruption at the institution. He has often encountered attempts to sidestep proper procedures, using fake O’Level or ND results to gain admission.
Nelson Okeh An Integrity Icon Saving Lives Despite The Odds
By Simon Ekemini
Ebube Chukwu (not his real name), a 50-year-old father of three, had just travelled about 820 kilometres and 15 hours on the road down home from Gombe State in Northeastern Nigeria to Ebonyi State in Southeast Nigeria. He had been away from his family for months, working in Gombe and periodically sending money home. He decided to visit his family during this period.
Upon arrival, Chukwu was informed by his kinsmen that someone had been found dead in the neighborhood the day before and that the Nigeria Police Force was conducting random arrests. Shortly after, the police arrived at Chukwu’s compound and, to everyone’s surprise, ordered him to enter their van.
Despite his pleas about his long journey and showing his unpacked traveling bag as evidence, the police insisted he would have a chance to explain himself at the station. Having nothing to hide, Chukwu complied, expecting that his explanations and, at worst, preliminary investigations would resolve the issue. However, the police had other plans.
Despite his explanations and his relatives’ efforts to secure his release, Chukwu was charged in court and remanded in correctional custody while the case proceeded
Edozie Godwin: The lecturer who ensured recruitment into Delta State education service was merit-based
By Arinze Chijioke
“Nigeria Go better,” pidgin English for “Nigeria will be great,” was the title of a sermon by Pastor Johnson (not his real name) one Sunday after his daughter secured a teaching position in Delta State’s education service despite having no connections. Her appointment resulted from a recruitment process that emphasized merit over favoritism.?
When the daughter got home with her appointment letter, her father could not believe his eyes. She was only one of over 1,000 people who got jobs in the teaching service that year, without any backing or connection. It was purely based on performance and merit.
And the man who made it happen was Edozie Godwin.?
In 2015, Godwin, a senior lecturer at the Federal College of Education Technology, Asaba, took a leave of absence to become Special Adviser to the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education in Delta State, Chiedu Ebie. Four years later, he was appointed Senior Special Assistant on Education to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, a role he held until 2023. In 2019, Godwin played a key role in overseeing the state’s recruitment of teachers and agricultural officers.
Nigeria must stick to procurement regulations to halt projected loss of N3 trillion to contract scams
By Matthew Ogune
Disturbed by the volume of money Nigeria is losing to procurement-related frauds, stakeholders in the sector have called for action against the menace to prevent the country from losing a projected sum of N3 trillion to contract scams and procurement fraud by 2025.
Recently the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) commenced the prosecution of a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on an alleged procurement fraud.
The Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria (CIFCFIN) last year warned that Nigeria may lose N3 trillion to contract scams, and procurement fraud if nothing is done to curb the development, especially in the public sector.??
President and Chairman of the institute’s governing council, Dr Iliyasu Gashinbaki who gave the hint at the 2023 International Fraud Awareness Week, warned that something concrete must be done to stop the fraud that he said was causing the federal, state and local governments an annual cumulative loss of about N1.4 trillion based on credible intelligence.
Also, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN) had earlier pointed out that the manipulation of the public procurement process was causing the country to lose 30% of its resources. This trend, the institution said, can be reversed by the Federal Government constituting the National Council on Public Procurement, which will come up with policies in line with international best practices.?
Explore the Creative Storytelling Fellowship and other initiatives at Accountability Lab Nigeria, and visit Accountability Lab to learn about our global translocal network.
Stay tuned for our next edition!