Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) and MacArthur Foundation yesterday sought behavioural change among Nigerians, to curb corruption.
They lamented that the menace of corruption appeared to have defied solution, hence the need for Nigerians to change their attitude towards graft.
Speaking in Ibadan at a seminar with the theme: ‘Exploring Models for Behavioural Change Intervention Design: Lesson from Good Practices in the Public Sector, an Associate Research Professor, Political and Governance Policy Department of NISER, Dr. Abubakar Oladeji, said looking at the statistics and transparency international ranking of corrupt countries, Nigeria was ranked terribly despite the anti-corruption agencies established by the government.
He said it seemed the legal approach in fighting corruption in the country was not working, hence the need to look for another approach, which was behavioural change of Nigerians towards corruption.
The Director General, NISER, Prof. Antonia Simbine, said the gathering was a unique platform for knowledge engagement among scholars, policy makers and bureaucrats on behavioural change approach to corruption control.
The Deputy Country Director of MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Amina Salihu, said the foundation engaged NISER and other top government policy think tanks because it was looking for an opportunity to facilitate anti-corruption efforts, which would be different from the law and order approach.