CDD: Monitoring and evaluation vital in tracking fight against corruption

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) says monitoring and evaluation is vital in tracking the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

Speaking at a three-day monitoring and evaluation capacity-building workshop for Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs) on Monday in Calabar, Idayat Hassan, CDD director, said monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is a process that helps track the progress in the fight against corruption in the country.

The workshop was organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in partnership with the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-corruption Reform (TUGAR).

It also had support from the MacArthur Foundation.

Represented by Emmanuel Akomaye, the centre’s project consultant on anti-corruption, Hassan said the CDD believes that it is important to bring all the ACAs together for a workshop to have a balance within institutions and have a proper evaluation in the fight against corruption.

On his part, Tanko Ashang, Cross River attorney-general and commissioner for justice, said the state has zero tolerance for corruption.

The commissioner asked the participants and the public to keep up with the fight against corruption in the country.

“On behalf of my ministry, I would like to let you know that the Ministry of Justice and Cross River state has zero tolerance for corruption,” he said.

On her part, Lilian Ekeanyanwu, director of TUGAR, commended the CDD for leading the initiative to organise the M&E capacity-building workshop for ACAs.

Ekeanyanwu said the M&E training would address the gaps in the reportage of efforts made by various anti-corruption agencies in the country.

Also speaking, Atinuke Odukoya, an expert with HEDA, said in the fight against corruption, M&E is vital to addressing two major issues of transparency and accountability.

Thirty-one officials from 12 ACAs participated in the workshop and they are from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), The Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA); Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR); Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI); Public Complaints Commission (PCC); Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering(SCUML) and Ministry of Justice, FCT.