Nigeria: U.S. Partners Religious Leaders, Budgit Launch Anti-Corruption Website

By Ben Ezeamalu*

The launching of the Report Yourself Initiative

The United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria in collaboration with religious leaders and BudgIT, a civic organisation, on Wednesday launched Report Yourself, a web-based platform that empowers citizens to fight corruption in Nigeria.

The clerics, under the aegis of Religious Leaders Anti-Corruption working group, will in turn collaborate with Nigerian law enforcement agencies in the initiative.

David Young, the U.S. Chargé d’ Affaires, said the Report Yourself initiative puts the power to report corruption in the hands of the Nigerian people.

“I hope that Report Yourself starts a new movement in citizen engagement and I hope every Nigerian who is affected by corruption will feel empowered to share their experiences,” Mr. Young said.

“The tide will turn against the culture of corruption when Nigerians recognize that they must fight as one to stamp out this scourge that has hampered development and stifled prosperity.”

Stanley Achonu, Operations Manager at BudgIT, said the initiative is an opportunity to collaborate with religious leaders to monitor the level of corruption at the grassroots.