…says perpetrators drowning devt, progress

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – AS corruption remains a stronghold limiting Nigeria’s development, the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, Tuesday, built capacity of Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, to combat Illicit Financial Flows, IFFs, in Nigeria.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the two-day workshop with the theme ‘Strengthening CSOs and Media Capacity to Contribute to the Fight against Illicit Financial Flows in Nigeria’, the Deputy Executive Director, ANEEJ, Leo Atakpu, in an address of welcome, explained the essence of the two-day workshop (June 23 -24,2026), saying the role CSOs play is very critical as far as public accountability, citizens’ mobilization, budget monitoring, procurement tracking, tax justice advocacy, anti-corruption campaigns, policy engagement and community-level awareness creation are concerned.

Atakpu who also spoke on behalf of the Executive Director, ANEEJ, Rev David Ugolor, the Board, Management and Staff of ANEEJ, and said ANEEJ expressed optimism that Nigeria can make progress in the fight against IFFs with a strong synergy among government institutions, CSOs, media, development partners and citizens by putting the lives of Nigerians first and generations unborn.

Meanwhile, as he acknowledged some efforts made by some institutions that are fighting IFFs, said, “However, the persistence of IFFs, shows that the laws and institutions, credible data, strong coalitions and sustained public pressure to close implementation gaps and demand accountability.

“This is why this workshop is very timely. It is designed to deepen the understanding of civil society actors on the nature, drivers, trends, and development impacts of illicit financial flows in Nigeria. It will also strengthen knowledge of the legal, policy and institutional frameworks for addressing corruption, money laundering, tax evasion, procurement fraud and asset recovery.”

He also expressed optimism that the workshop will equip CSOs with practical tools for evidence-based advocacy, public procurement monitoring, use of the Freedom of Information Act, access to public data, coalition building and strategic engagement with relevant institutions.

“Illicit Financial Flows, IFFs, remain one of the most serious threats to Nigeria’s development, governance and social justice.

“They occur through corruption, tax evasion and avoidance, trade misinvoicing, money laundering, procurement fraud, profit shifting, and other illegal financial practices that deprive our country of badly needed public resources. These are resources that should have been invested in education, healthcare, infrastructure, social protection, job creation, and poverty reduction.

He said the duty of CSOs is to stand in the gap, ask questions, follow money flows, monitor budgets and procurement processes, demand beneficial financial ownership transparency, engage with anti-corruption and financial intelligence institutions constructively, use data responsibly, educate citizens, and build coalitions that can sustain advocacy beyond workshops.

He also added, “The real success of this engagement will be measured by what we do after leaving this room: the advocacy actions we initiate, the coalitions we strengthen, the data we use, the institutions we engage and the citizens we mobilize.”