ICACN Tasks Media, Religious Bodies On Corruption

A 

faith based
organization, the
nterreligious
Coalition Against
Corruption in Nigeria
(ICACN), on Thursday,
organized a one-day
symposium on engaging
the conventional media
and the religious
institutions to enhance
Transparency and
Accountability.

National conveners
of the ICACN made the
call in Calabar, during a
media parley with
journalists, 'Using
Conventional Media
Platforms to Promote
Accountability and Anti-
Corruption in Nigeria’.

In his remarks, a co-
convener of the program,
Bishop Dr. Emmah
Gospel Isong noted that
the media and religious
institutions remain a
focal point for promoting
transparency and
accountability in Nigeria
through a message of
attitudinal change.

Bishop Dr. Isong
stated that the ICACN
was created as an avenue
for citizens’ engagement
to demand accountability
and transparency and to
fight corruption,
highlighting discipline,
integrity, dignity, dignity
of labour, social justice,
religious tolerance and
self reliance as the seven

pillars of anti-
corruption.

"Journalists should
continue to ask
questions, beam their
searchlights and
demand accountability.
Worship centres should
incorporate anti-
corruption messages in
their churches, mosques
and other places of
worship centres.

"This project was
launched to promote
transparency and
accountability by
incorporating the Media,
the religious leaders, the
traditional institutions
as a step down and an
instrument of change".

Speaking also,
Imam Shefiu
Abdulkareem opined
that the war against
corruption and illegality
in Nigeria can be won
together through media
engagements, public
accountability, noting
that all systems should
come together to
demand a better society
through press reportage
and solemn messages.

Imam Abdulkareem
said Christian and
Muslim worship
messages by clerics can
bring about their
congregations’ re-
orientation.

"The media as well
as the church has an
important role to
demand accountability

Others are Christian
Onovughe, Welfare and Self-
Reliance Manager, Uyo
Coordinating Council and
William Boakye, Perpetual
Education Fund loans
Specialist also participated

in both public and private
sectors, where
government activities are
opaque in nature" he said.

Among the
participants present were
a guest speaker and
General Manager of the
Cross River Broadcasting
Corporation (CRBC), Mr
Maurice Inok, who called
on the relevant
stakeholders to join forces
with the federal
government's anti-graft
agencies in tackling
societal menace.

According to Inok
"the artisans, POS
operators and other set of]
people scam us. The
Yahoo boys, and even
those who engaged in all
kinds of petty shady deals
are also corrupt”.

Also in attendance
were Engr. Wisdom AK
Akwa, a keynote speaker,
the State Chairman of the
Cross River State Chapter
of the Nigeria Union of]
Journalists (NUJ), Mr
Nsa Gill, journalists, and
other stakeholders.

The activity, funded
by the MacArthur
Foundation, is geared at
training over one hundred
Journalists as part of its
South-West, South South
and North Central
engagements in the 19
States of its operations.

The event saw a
question and answer
session, presentation of
training certificates to
participants and other
social interactions.