‘Artists can be genuine corruption fighters’

The Country Director, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Mr Friday Ode, says artists can become genuine fighters of corruption in Nigeria.

Ode, who made the remark while speaking at the 2021 Integrity Icon Summit and Art for Integrity Exhibition in Abuja, described visual arts as a veritable tool for awareness creation against corruption in the country’s public space.

Ode’s declaration is coming ahead of the International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9, which seeks to highlight the rights and responsibilities of everyone in tackling the menace.

The ALN Country Director argued that artists could be genuine corruption fighters since their creative works can serve to propagate the ideas of integrity and accountability.

According to him, the Art for Integrity exhibition has reinforced the need for stakeholders to support the government’s anti-corruption campaign, and highlight the importance of transparency and accountability to good governance.

“For Nigerians, we are suffering from a dose of very bad political class. The government needs to do more. It has not been impressive with the fight against corruption.

“Therefore, to find our true path to peace, development, and progress, we all need to look away from political gains and towards people with integrity.

“We need to do more and encourage the government to do more. The fight against corruption should be more around young people because we have a stronger population among our youths,” Ode stressed.

The ALN Country Director urged Nigerians to see art as a veritable tool to aid the anti-graft war of the Federal Government.

He said, “While we are being overwhelmed by the impending supernova of Nigeria’s corruption system, some smart Nigerians are occupying Nigeria’s most rewarding sector, the visual and creative arts.

“Art connects people and help them have a rethink of what it is they are observing. Consequently, we think artists can contribute to what the Nigerian government is doing through their works, especially when we take art as a way of engaging with people.”

In his goodwill message, the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon, Carl Michael Gräns, stated that art was also effective for value-based teaching, expression of culture, and conveying illustrations about people and society.

So, he urged the 52 artists who voluntarily shared their creative works for exhibition to continue using their skills and creative minds to spotlight the critical subjects of accountability and transparency.

Gräns said, “The issues of integrity and transparency re not for civil servants alone; the government MDAs, businesses, private sector, and the diplomatic communities must continue to strengthen human rights, push for equality, openness and freedom, ensure people’s participation and maintain the rule of law.

“For this reason, I am delighted to see how this year’s Integrity Icon Summit has incorporated ‘Art’ as a tool to promote integrity and to draw consciousness of people towards building a value-based nation.”

Earlier, ALN Programme Officer, Kelly Osuji, explained that the organisation works with young people to find creative ways of building a new generation of active citizens and responsible leaders.

To this end, he stated that the Art for Integrity summit aimed at creating a bridge between the comprehension and the expression of critical accountability issues.