By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, (CACOL) has called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other stakeholders to stop celebrating people with questionable characters to reduce the level of the corrupt practice in Nigeria.
The group made the call over the weekend after an anti-corruption rally in streets of Osogbo, the State capital, which was dominated at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in commemoration of International Anti-corruption Day.
Speaking, the convener of the group in the state, Citizen Lola Wey charged traditional rulers to desist from giving chieftaincy titles to those whose source of wealth is questionable.
Lola Wey said the International Anti-corruption Day is tagged, “Curbing Corruption in Nigeria’s Political Processes: Establishing a Grassroots Paradigm in Good-Governance, Accountability, and Transparency.”
According to her, “We are all guilty of corruption, every young child in Nigeria is aware of what is corruption but the corrupt practices seem to have been accepted as the norm in our land and this must change.
“Today, we are united to say enough is enough for corrupt practices in our land. we must unite to ensure that peace and prosperity reign in Nigeria.
“We want the price of the goods to go down, businessmen and women must change their attitude, they must be patriotic, and they must also consider other Nigerians and those who are less privileged in our midst.
“Our spiritual leaders must stop honouring those whose source of wealth is not known, our traditional rulers must stop honouring men and women whose source of wealth is not known, they must not celebrate them by giving them chieftaincy titles.
“Give chieftaincy titles to those people of impeccable character and that is when our things will change for the better in our land,” she added.
However, the chairman of the coalition of civil society organisations, Comrade Waheed Lawal charged citizens to vote for the right people who have the capacity and credibility to deliver dividends of democracy.
Lawal commended the people for attending this year’s International Anti-corruption Day in the state.