1st February, 2020
The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, in its continuation of shifting the paradigm in the fight against corruption from the hitherto elitist approach to the grassroots approach, held its Good Governance, Accountability and Transparency Education (C-GATE) with the service sector yesterday (Thursday) by holding a Capacity Building workshop with members of the Nigerian Police.
A release issued by CACOL and signed by Adegboyega Otunuga, the anti-corruption organization’s Coordinator, Media and Publications on behalf of its Executive Chairman, Mr. Debo Adeniran, stated: “In continuation of our resolve at deepening the fight against corruption in the country by engaging the service sector, the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, held a Capacity Building workshop with senior members and the rank and file of the Nigerian Police at Area F, Ikeja, yesterday where issues of corruption and how they affect the Police were extensively thrashed out.”
The anti-corruption organization’s Coordinator for Research and Documentation, Mr. Okechukwu Ndiribe, gave an introductory speech where he traced the advent of CACOL over 12 years ago and how it changed its name from Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) to Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) to avail itself of greater latitude in dealing with corruption and openness in governance which is a broader perspective on corruption itself.
He described how corruption has singularly robbed the nation of almost all its glory and potentials and why the current efforts become imperative towards turning the mood of despondency and grief to apocalypse and rediscovery.
He also harped on why the methodology has to shift from mere sloganeering to concrete action for the real victims to breathe a sigh of relief and combat the social scourge frontally, if the country was to be taken seriously by the rest of the world.
CACOL leader, Mr. Adeniran, said “by engaging the Police and other service organizations, we as an anti-corruption organization, are expanding the signposts of the anti-corruption war to the ‘front-door’ troops in sanitizing the polity. Since the Police force and other service forces are so critical to prevention, detection and prosecution of corruption crimes, it is pertinent they are well equipped in the entire fight against the scourge by boosting their capacity and effect a reorientation of their mindset towards eschewing corruption in all its ramifications.”