Anti-corruption fight must combine punishment, prevention- Russian envoy

Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Igor Ivannikov, has emphasized that the fight against corruption in Nigeria must combine punishment for existing offenses with preventive measures to address underlying causes. Speaking at a diplomatic dialogue on anti-corruption cooperation between Russia and Nigeria, Ivannikov outlined Russia's comprehensive anti-corruption system, which combines law enforcement with preventive measures.

He highlighted income and property declarations by public officials, conflict of interest prevention, and anti-corruption review of existing laws as key preventive measures in Russia. Ivannikov also noted that digitalization of public procurement processes in Russia has reduced opportunities for concealing information and made it easier to review actions of contracting authorities.

However, he cautioned that digitalization alone cannot eliminate corruption, emphasizing the importance of quality oversight, information accessibility, and accountability of officials.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.