Sagay named head of corruption advisory body
President Muhammadu Buhari has set up a presidential advisory committee against corruption headed by Itse Sagay, a prominent professor of law and civil rights activist.
According to Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, the committee’s brief is to advise the government on the prosecution of the war against corruption and the implementation of required reforms in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
Other members of the committee, which is also expected to develop comprehensive interventions for achieving recommended reforms, are Femi Odekunle, a professor of criminology at Ahmadu Bello University; Benedicta Daudu, an associate professor of international law at the University of Jos; E Alemika, professor of sociology at the University of Jos; Sadiq Radda, professor of criminology, Bayero University, Kano; Hadiza Bala Usman, civil society activist; and Bolaji Owasanoye Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, executive secretary of the committee.
Adesina added that an anti-corruption and criminal justice reform fund had been established by three international development partners, namely the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and Open Society Foundation to support the effort of the government.
“The $5 million fund is to assist implementation of key components of the action plan and the work of the presidential advisory committee,” he said.
“The fund will be managed by Trust Africa, an international development civil society organisation with programme presence in more than 25 African countries.”
Conceptually speaking, this is a very good move. It might have been better without Professor Sagay and BBOG’s Hadiza whose views (or related perceptions) are more likely to polarize than not.
The committee is already polarized