Introduction
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) is an aggregate of human rights, community based, and Civil Society Organisations with anti-corruption agenda across Nigeria. It is a non-political, non-religious, non-sectarian, non-profit Coalition. CACOL sets for itself the task of using any available means to cause relevant authorities to probe and bring to book all corrupt leaders both in public and private institutions. The decision to embark on the journey was taken in view of the need to confront, once and for all the monster that is ravaging all facets of our national life in Nigeria – Corruption. We decided to do this on behalf of millions of hapless Nigerians who have by a choice that is not theirs, fallen or are potential victims of corrupt leaders. This monster torments ordinary people of Nigeria in all areas of their endeavour. We have to confront it with a view to defeating it because it has to be done, not by ghosts or citizens of other nations but by Nigerians who have pride in themselves to be full-blooded Nigerians.
Rationale: Causes of all socio-economic and political problems plaguing Nigeria today have been traced to endemic corruption by and among leadership of various socio-political institutions in Nigeria and their collaborators elsewhere. Corruption as evidenced in all dishonest behaviours like stealing, oppression, favoritism, nepotism, lying, embezzlement, misappropriation, bribery, cheating, fraud etc has made an average Nigerian poorer while an average leader unjustifiably wealthier than the capacity of their legitimate earnings.
Access to all basic necessities – food, water, health care, road, education etc not to talk of good things of life – housing, power, energy, transportation etc are elusive to an average Nigerian. Living in Nigeria has become a nightmare owing to lack of security to lives and property occasioned by the large army of unemployed youths that turn to crimes for want of what to eat. While our leaders appropriate billions of naira to themselves as salaries, wages and all sorts of allowance, including renovating a three-year old building with N628 million while the only building standing in the culprit’s former primary school has no roof; they sell our common heritage to themselves and cronies at ridiculously low rates; destroy public institutions to create market advantage for their private and privatized ones and accentuate fraud with fraudulent judicial process, people of Nigeria die in droves of preventable ailments like road accidents, malaria and childbirth! Hence we hold the belief that rather than engaging authorities on the effect of a vice we should tackle the vice itself from its roots
Ideology: Equitable distribution of work and wealth. From each according to his ability; to each according to his needs. It is our belief that the state owes it a duty to provide jobs for all able bodied. Nigerians never ask for too much than to eat and have a place to lay their heads with minimum convenience. But where the state fails to perform this aspect of its responsibility it must provide social security for the unemployed and the aged. This will make our country convenient save and secure for everyone to live in.
Principle: A rotten head cannot protect its body. A cancerous tail threatens the head. The fight against corruption is a hydra headed one that cannot be confronted from all fronts at the same time. It can only, like learning proceed from known to unknown. The great is what is known while the little is relatively unknown owing to their level of spread and impact. Hence our fight shall take the principle of `one step at a time’ starting from the presidency to the councillorship; from Chief Executive Officers to cleaners, in both public and private settings.
Motto: Name, Nail, Shame and Shun Corrupt Leaders Anywhere, Everywhere
Vision: A Nigeria without corrupt leaders both in public and private sectors of the economy.
Mission: To deploy any means available to it to cause relevant authorities to probe and try all corrupt leaders both in public and private institutions.
Objectives:
1.) to campaign for the probe and prosecution of suspected or proven corrupt leaders;
2.) to advocate for ostracism of corrupt leaders from their immediate and larger community;
3.) to enlighten the society on the virtues of living modest and corrupt- free lives.
Membership: CACOL membership is open to all organisations and individuals that complete a membership form, subscribe to its objectives and meet the Coalition’s financial requirements. An individual/group intending to join CACOL is expected to pick up his/their membership form at the National Secretariat at a rate of N500.The individual/affiliate attaches his/the contact person’s (in case of a group) passport photograph to the form.
Each individual member pays a monthly due of N500 or advance annual payment of N5, 000. For existing organisation that wants to join CACOL as an affiliate; the group pays a sum of N10, 000 as monthly due or N100, 000 yearly, if paying in advance.
For a group that cannot afford the monthly due as an affiliate, it can choose to become a unit of CACOL
- Organisations should be able to sponsor at least 10 of its own members to all public events organized by or to which CACOL is invited.
- Individuals will be encouraged to work with existing affiliate or CACOL organ nearest to him until there are up to eleven of such in the same neighbourhood to form a unit of CACOL
Engagement: Our task is simple – to use all legal and civilized means to campaign against known corrupt leaders and pressure relevant aut horities to prosecute them. Our activities will include but not limited to:
• petitions – petitions against suspected and proven corrupt leaders would be sent to relevant state agency to take all appropriate actions under the laws of the land to prosecute them;
• mass letter writing – would be encouraged among Nigerians to pressure public and private institutions, as well as relevant individuals to take specific actions against known corrupt leaders;
• processions – would be held at regular intervals, especially when submitting petitions and their follow-up activities;
• research – would be carried out on unanswered questions bothering on corruption to establish theoretical bases for activities and advice relevant authorities appropriately on ways and means of tackling the monster;
• study – would be carried out on best practices, workability of intended actions and effectiveness of action taken on the subject matter;
• investigations – of reported cases of corruption with a view to assisting anti-graft agencies with facts and figures to prosecute suspected culprits;
• litigations – court and other judicial actions would be taken against any anti-graft agency that is reluctant or refuses to perform its lawful duties or overzealous in performing its functions–,
• public rallies – spiced with graffiti, leafleteering, bill posting etc would be held at intervals to raise the consciousness of the Nigerian populace on the need and how to make their communities uncomfortable for corrupt leaders to return to. They will be encouraged not welcome them with open arms, pomp and pageantry that is the current case which encourage them to perpetuate corrupt practices; but with despise and ignominy that will embarrass them and deter potential corrupt leaders from such enterprise;
- picketing – would be conducted on reluctant or lethargic anti-graft agencies, associates of corrupt leaders like their business outfits, worship places, bankers, club houses, traditional rulers etc
Target Partners: CACOL relates with statutory institutions with a view to encouraging them to perform their statutory functions only on the basis of they being necessary for the realization of CACOL’s objectives but not on the bases of their constituents. Some of the institutions are:
- The Police
- Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
- Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)
- Code of Conduct Bureau
- Public Complaints Commission
- The Judiciary
- The Media
- Professional Bodies
- Labour Movements
- Houses of Assembly
- The National Assembly
- The Executive Governors of States
- Community Based Organisations
- Faith-based Institutions and organisations
- Non-governmental organisations
- Donor Agencies
- Foreign Missions
- International Development Partners
- The Nigerian Public
- Others
Finance: All affiliate or individual participants finance every programme they participate in. External funding would however be sought for major projects. The secretariat keeps records of its financial receipts, expenditures and bank transactions. Signatories to the Coalition account will include the Executive Chairman and any/both of the Board Secretary and Treasurer.
Structure:
- The National Advisory Committee
- The Board of Governors
- The Secretariat
- State Chapter EXCO
- Local Branch EXCO
- Community Unit EXCO
- Committees are constituted by the AGC to assist the Secretariat on:
a. Mobilization
b. Strategy
c. Programmes and Projects
d. Publications and Publicity
e. Logistics
f. Finance
- Community Units in a Local Government Area constitute the Local Branch while Branches in a state constitute the State Chapter.
- o Femi Falana
- o Dr Tunji Braithwaite
- o Otive Igbuzor
- o Soji Apampa
- o Aminatu Salihu
- o Osagie Obayuwana
- o Gbenga Komolafe
- o Mrs Ayo Obe
- o Idowu Obasa
- o Kunle Bodu
- o Innocent Chukwuma
- o Mrs Biola Akiode
- o Ayo Adewale
- o Bamidele Aturu
- o Abdulwahab Al-Hassan
- o Ray Morphy
- o Debo Adeniran
- o David Ajetunmobi
- o Deji Ige
- o Shenge Rahman
- o Mrs Bola Gbadebo
- o Hajia Halima Inuwa-Wali
- o Wale Adeoye
- o Adebayo Adesina
- The National Advisory Committee: This is nominal and honourary. Members are appointed by the BoG from the pool of influential credible patriots who have distinguished themselves in the fight against corruption and bad governance and those who made the initial moral and material contributions leading to the execution of CACOL’s launching programmes.
- The Board of Governors: These are those who made the initial moral and material contributions leading to the formation of CACOL and remained consistent for, at least the first two years of its existent. They are:
The Board meets regularly and officers of the board are appointed on biannually basis.
- Honourary Board Members the affiliate leaders who have remained consistent since they became part of the Coalition till its second anniversary and inauguration of this Framework. They are:
- o Mrs Ayo Adenle – FETAN
- o Teslim Oyekanmi – COPY
- o Declan Ihekhaire – TNCC
- o Samson Olayiwola – GPP
- o Olusola Green – HELP
- o Caleb Olukoya – CDHR
- o Comrade Abiola Dabiri – CDHR
- o Miss Tayo Akingbade – CHILDREN Project
- o Leke Adebanjo – CHILDREN Project
- o Saheed Akinmade – ADJ/CCG
- o Samuel Ewi – OOYI
- o Ishola Adesina – CCG
- The Secretariat is appointed and funded by the BoG. It is comprised of the following:
- o Executive Chairman
- o Coordinator of Programmes
- o Programme Officers in charge of:
- Accounts and Administration
- Campaigns
- o Office Manager
- o Programme/Office Assistants
- o Computer Operator
- Committees are constituted by the Annual General Convention on:
a. Mobilization
b. Strategy
c. Programmes and Projects
d. Publications and Publicity
e. Logistics
f. Finance
- Elections conducted by the Board of Governors are held at Units, Branches and Chapter levels on periodic basis or as determined by the National Secretariat.
Organisations in Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) as at July 18, 2009
- Grassroots Power point (GPP)
- Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG)
- Labour, Health and Development Centre
- Nigerian Automobiles Technicians Association (NATA)
- Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER)
- Oodua Youth Movement (OYM)
- Ambassadors for Democracy and Justice (ADJ)
- Centre for the Protection of Islamic Values (CPIV)
- Female Teachers Association of Nigerian (FETAN)
- Teachers for Grassroots Development (TEGRADEV)
- The Nigerian Citizens Council (TNCC)
- Osun Renaissance Association (ORA)
- Labour Rights Advocacy Centre (LARAC,)
Child Help in Legal Defence of Rights to Education in Nigeria (CHILDREN) Project
- Alao Aka-Bashorun Foundation for Human Rights (AAFRIGHTS)
- Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) Lagos State Branch
- Gani Fawehinmi Solidarity Association (GFSA)
- Centre for Cultural and Religious Rights (CECURR)
- Ojo-Ola Yoruba Initiative (OOYI)
- Women Advocates and Development Centre (WARDC)
- CLEEN Foundation
- Movement for Yoruba Autonomy (MOYA)
- Help Eliminate Loneliness and Poverty (HELP)
- Masses Agenda for Justice and Democracy
Osun State Civil Society Coalition on Corruption and Rights Violation (OSCARV)
- Three Media Organisations
- Five Community Development Committees (CDAs)
Debo Adeniran Ms Ayo Adenle
Chairman, CACOL Ag. Treasurer
08037194969 07061612566
dadnig@yahoo.com omotking@rocketmail.com