The Federal Road Safety Corps and the Akin Fadeyi Foundation, Conveners of the Corruption Not In My Country Project, a micro level anti-corruption TV Drama have announced a major strategic partnership. This was consummated at the FRSC Headquarters on Monday, August 19, 2019.
The partnership will be driven on the platform of Technology as the AFF is set to launch its newly designed Report Corruption App called FLAG’IT which was funded by MacArthur Foundation. FLAG’IT shall serve as a tool to strengthen FRSC’s capacity to be integrity-driven, improve on public service delivery and be very responsive to public feedback. It shall also be a platform where citizens can provide positive feedback on credible and outstanding officers.
Speaking at the event, the FRSC Corp Marshall, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, said the Executive Order 001, which supports the ease of doing business has created more room for the government to be accountable and transparent in service delivery. He said the FRSC had improved tremendously through innovative projects like the joint surveillance activity, through which the FRSC partners with other agencies to improve governance in the country; service improvement through which Nigerians can now secure their driver’s licences after two months, and after being certified by a regulated driving school; and a verification portal which helps track fake licenses issued to unsuspecting public.
Dr. Oyeyemi said as no system was perfect without evolving needs for improvement, the partnership with the Akin Fadeyi Foundation was timely especially as it involves technological innovation as mechanism for feedback, analytics and insight garnering for improved service delivery.
Programme Officer, Akin Fadeyi Foundation, Nabila Okino, commended the Corp Marshall for boldly confronting corrupt practices within the Corps. She highlighted the Akin Fadeyi’s Foundation’s objectives, programs and interventions in Nigeria, which includes anti-corruption campaign, which is driven through the ‘Not in My Country’ Edutainment skits and the ‘Never Again’ Radio Drama skits, which has been airing on CNN Africa and other TV Channels under the funding of The John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; past training programs in schools and now the incorporation of technology in the fight against corruption. She thanked Dr Boboye Oyeyemi and his team for their continuous efforts in ensuring safety on Nigerian roads. Okino said due to the depth of endemic corruption in our society, it was impossible to achieve meaningful gains in the fight against corruption without partnering with major stakeholders. This according to her was what birthed the partnership between the FRSC and the Akin Fadeyi Foundation.
The Deputy Director, Africa, MacArthur Foundation, Mr Dayo Olaide, expressed his organization’s delight at the development and was full of commendation for the FRSC under Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, for opening up its processes to transparency and accountability. Olaide said the MacArthur Foundation has taken into cognizance the impact of behavioral insights and learnings garnered from the edutainment skits produced by Akin Fadeyi Foundation and partnered with the Foundation because of the organization’s approach towards fighting corruption through the use these messages crafted for public enlightenment.
He noted the importance of the ‘FlagIT’ App and why it will help improve public perception on corruption. According to him, in 2014, the new president of the MacArthur Foundation decided to look at the Nigerian situation again and seek new ways on how to intervene by partnering with NGOs and the government. On the invitation by the Office of the Vice President, MacArthur rolled out programs and initiatives that will help improve governance. According to Olaide, “When some people were called and asked to deliberate on what were Nigeria’s most pressing desires. Of all the concepts that were deliberated upon, service delivery and accountability were most paramount”. This birthed the ‘On Nigeria’ project to improve the task of reducing corruption.
He expressed confidence that this partnership was a step in the right direction as it reinforces MacArthur’s commitment to working with credible non-profits to strengthen institutions and be more responsive to public yearning for a corrupt-free excellent service delivery and accountable governance.
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