The Federal Government has urged the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to develop and implement homegrown anti-corruption strategies, saying stronger action at the subnational level is necessary to improve transparency, accountability and public service delivery.
The government made the call on Wednesday at a three-day workshop on the implementation tools for the Plateau State Integrity and Accountability Strategy, PLASIAS, which began in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
The workshop is focused on developing practical tools for monitoring, learning and evaluating the strategy, as well as operating guidelines and templates that will guide its implementation.
Declaring the workshop open, the Head of the National Anti-Corruption Secretariat, Mrs Victoria Ojogbane, who represented the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, commended the Plateau State Government for taking steps to implement the National Anti-Corruption Strategy at the state level.
Ojogbane, however, disclosed that only seven of the 36 states had so far commenced the process of implementing subnational anti-corruption strategies.
“At a recent engagement between the ICPC and the 36 Attorneys General in Abuja, I shared the scorecard. Out of 36 states, only seven have commenced subnational anti-corruption strategy implementation. I am proud to announce that Plateau State is one of the seven,” she said.
She described Plateau’s progress as encouraging, noting that the state had moved beyond merely developing an anti-corruption strategy to preparing an action plan for its implementation.
According to her, the Plateau State action plan is scheduled for validation on August 28, 2026.
Ojogbane stressed that the success of any anti-corruption policy depended on the people responsible for putting it into practice.
“Laws and action plans do not implement themselves. People do. All of you in this hall, and those yet to join, are critical stakeholders in implementing the State Action Plan,” she said.
She urged participants and other stakeholders in Plateau to take ownership of the strategy and ensure that it produces practical changes in the way public institutions operate.
The Federal Government’s position is that the fight against corruption cannot be left entirely to federal institutions.
While agencies such as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission play major roles in investigating and prosecuting corruption cases, state governments control many public services that directly affect citizens.
These include healthcare, education, infrastructure, housing and other services.
Ojogbane said the national anti-corruption framework was built around five major pillars: prevention; public engagement; campaigns for ethical reorientation; enforcement and sanctions; and recovery of proceeds of corruption.
She explained that these pillars were designed to provide a broad framework for tackling corruption while allowing states to develop strategies that respond to their own challenges.
According to her, state-level ownership is critical to turning the national anti-corruption plan into actual reforms.
“The federal framework provides the architecture; state implementation provides the reality,” she said.
She also linked corruption directly to poor public services, saying its impact was not an abstract issue but one that Nigerians experience in their daily lives.
“Corruption is not abstract. It is why a clinic has no drugs, a school has no roof, and a borehole has no water. It erodes public trust. Every reform that increases transparency and accountability is an act of justice,” she said.
The statement reflects concerns that corruption and poor accountability can reduce the impact of public spending by diverting funds meant for projects and services.
Where public institutions lack effective monitoring systems, funds allocated for infrastructure and social services can be mismanaged, resulting in incomplete projects, poor facilities and weak service delivery.
Ojogbane commended Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the Head of Service for what she described as their political will and commitment to implementing the state’s integrity and accountability strategy.
She said sustained support from political and administrative leaders would be necessary for the strategy to succeed.
Also speaking at the workshop, the Lead Consultant on Transparency and Accountability for the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme, ROLAC, Prof. Ada Chidi Igbokwe, said the meeting was intended to give public institutions practical tools for moving PLASIAS from policy to implementation.
She said the strategy would be useful if the institutions involved were able to apply the agreed guidelines and monitoring tools effectively.
“I believe that these strategies, when implemented, will strengthen transparency and accountability in the governance process across Plateau and other states that have keyed into the strategy,” Igbokwe said.
The State Project Coordinator of ROLAC in Plateau, Mantim Dala, also stressed the need for public institutions to strengthen their accountability systems.
According to him, weaknesses in accountability have affected governance and service delivery in key sectors, including health, education, housing and infrastructure.
He urged participants to use the strategy to improve ethical standards in public institutions and ensure that government processes are properly followed.
Dala also addressed concerns that anti-corruption measures could be used against public officials for political or personal reasons.
He said PLASIAS was not designed to witch-hunt public servants but to prevent wrongdoing by encouraging officials to follow due process.
“The anti-corruption strategy is not actually meant to witch-hunt anyone. It actually aims to prevent such from happening, because when you know that you have done nothing wrong and you have followed due process, you have nothing to fear whether in service or out of service,” he said.
The workshop brought together representatives of ministries, departments and agencies, civil society organisations and local governments.
The participants are expected to work on the structures and tools required to monitor implementation of the Plateau strategy and assess whether the measures are achieving their intended objectives.
The meeting was organised by ROLAC, a programme funded by the European Union and implemented by International IDEA.
The programme is supporting efforts to strengthen the rule of law, accountability and anti-corruption measures in Nigeria.
The workshop also comes against the background of continuing concerns about corruption in Nigeria and its effect on public confidence in government institutions.
Over the years, governments at both federal and state levels have introduced policies and established institutions aimed at reducing corruption. However, challenges remain in ensuring that such policies translate into improved accountability and better services for citizens.
The Federal Government’s emphasis on state-level strategies is based on the recognition that corruption risks differ across institutions and locations.
A homegrown strategy allows states to identify specific weaknesses in their systems and develop measures that address those problems.
For Plateau State, the immediate task is to validate its action plan and establish effective systems for monitoring implementation.
The success of the initiative will ultimately depend on whether public institutions follow the guidelines, monitor compliance and take action when rules are breached.
With only seven states having commenced implementation of subnational anti-corruption strategies, the Federal Government’s call is also a push for the remaining states and the FCT to begin the process.
The government believes that stronger state-level action, combined with existing federal efforts, can improve transparency, protect public resources and strengthen public trust.
For citizens, the expected outcome is not simply the adoption of another policy document, but better management of public funds and improved delivery of essential services.
The Federal Government therefore wants states to move from developing anti-corruption plans to putting them into practice, with clear responsibilities, monitoring systems and consequences for violations.