By Olasunkanmi Akoni   & Monsur Olowoopejo

Former United States Special Envoy to Africa, Rev. Jesse Jackson and former UK Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Paul Boateng have condemned the high rate of corruption in the country describing it as a crime against humanity.

The duo, who spoke, yesterday at the 2010 Kuramo Conference held in Lagos, traced the problem in Nigeria to corruption and greed of its past leaders, adding that all hands must be on deck to stop the menace in the country.

According to Jackson, Nigeria is too rich for any of its citizenry to be poor, adding that all Nigerians must rise up immediately to fight the scourge of corruption.

He said: “We can do it. We can stop it, because corruption is a crime against humanity. Nigeria is so rich yet her people are so poor. We must fight in a big way. We must fight corruption and poverty. Fighting corruption is crucial to fighting poverty.”

Jackson added that Nigeria must ensure that the freedom of other African countries from the oppressive rule of their colonial masters should not be allowed to disintegrate.

Kongi speaks
Also speaking, Wole Soyinka revealed that he is presently putting together a play that would expose the new paradigm of corruption in Nigeria.

He urged Nigerians to wake up and put their leaders on their toes, noting that endemic greed and vampire  tendencies of African leaders can ruin the continent.

Lord Paul Boateng, a  plenary speaker at the conference, said though corruption is a global scourge, it can be tackled by the people affected

He added that the vision of the nation’s past leaders must be kept alive by imbibing salient virtues geared towards the development of the country.