Prior to the election of President Muhammadu Buhari on March 28th this year, Nigeria was grappling with enormous challenges precipitated by vicissitudes of governance across the spectra of the society.

Governance, especially the one founded on the crest of democracy is woven around tripod of legislative, executive and judiciary. Though the responsibility of each of the organ, as enshrined in the constitution, is clearly cut out for them, none can work independent of the other. This further explains the complementarity of the three arms of government.

The challenges across the level of government threw spanner in the work of successive governments on how to combat the social ills including corruption and other corruptible tendencies that had plagued the country like sphinx.

Even with anti-corruption agencies in place founded with the sole aim of purging the nation of the maladies, the preponderance of the problems posed serious albatross to the workings of the agencies.

The situation became precarious that many Nigerians casted aspersion on previous government for its seeming failure to address the challenges occasioned by massive looting and daylight impunity, of which high profile office holders were found wanting, smacking of its ineptitude to employ political will to bring public officers indicted for corruption to book.

The disturbing trend manifested in the build up to the last general elections as contenders for the exalted office of president, especially of two major parties (APC and PDP) used the medium provided by the poll to x-tray the performance of the incumbent and present manifestos to the public.

A large percentage of Nigerians, indisputably, were unhappy with the modality used to prosecute the war against graft by the past government, and leveraged on the opportunity offered to exercise their franchise and elected new government under the leadership of the APC.

Ahead of the poll, the then APC presidential candidate promised among other things to seriously fight corruption and came up with a strong warning that "if we don't kill corruption, it will kill us".

The analysis of the rampaging corruption also coincided with mind boggling revelation by Transparency International on the place Nigeria found itself among the corrupt nations in the world.

With the revelation on the appalling situation of corruption in the country, Nigerians decided to go for a paradigm shift with the election of erstwhile military Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, who rode on the mantra of change.

Due to the multitudes of problems in the country, Buhari admitted publicly that he is overwhelmed by expectation of Nigerians who believe that it would not be in collective interest of saner citizens to leave the affairs of the country in the hand of the then government.

Since the election of the ruling APC, pundits are expectant of what the government has to offer by fighting endemic corruption end long.

Not oblivious of its responsibility as a veritable platform to assess the government and instill social justice in the country, Kwara State council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) last Thursday drew top government functionaries, media chief executives and interested members of the public to its 10th public lecture tagged media platform with primary aim of reviewing the journey so far on the war against corruption.

The lecture held at Abubakar Olusola Saraki Pen House, Ilorin was delivered by Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Salam Najeem Folasayo.

He told the gathering that for Buhari's administration to inscribe its footprints on the anti-corruption crusade, there would be a massive media campaign against the cankerworm.

The Osun speaker, who spoke on the theme "The Change Project: Ending Corruption and Ensuring Prosperity in Nigeria", explained that if coercion in the value of rule of law is deployed, people who live on the proceeds of corruption should be made to suffer and lose their reward.

He however, expressed worry that there is a caveat on war against corruption as those considered to be law enforcers also enmeshed in the stinking situation.

The Osun speaker also advocated political will on the part of leaders at all levels to stem the growing trend of corruptible tendencies.

He stated that Nigeria needs change, which should be superintended by leadership at all levels of government.

"If persuasive instrument is to be used, then the government of President (Muhammadu) Buhari needs a massive media campaign with a cleverly coached watchword that would demonize corruption, and I think the body language of the President is doing the magic already.

"Even the suspected corrupt ones are denouncing corruption now. Good or bad, that is a positive direction. For the sake of the non-conformists who have vowed to live and die in corruption, because of its huge reward, instrument of coercion is equally needed.

"So, if coercion in the value of rule of law is deployed, the people who profit from corruption and those who live on the proceeds of corruption must be made to suffer and lose their reward, but how can that be achieved when the enforcers of the laws are corrupt themselves? This is another academic exercise on its own.

"You can make laws on how the education must be run, on how students must not be exploited by the teachers, how best we think the teachers must conduct themselves, but you cannot make law on how the teachers teach, and by not coming to the class regularly when one is paid adequately, corruption has been unveiled.

"I recalled that pension law was enacted by the National Assembly and the committee was inaugurated to implement the laws, but later we heard on how the same committee diverted the pension fund, and how the anti-graft body charged to investigate bungled the investigation at the request of the then power-that-be. So, it is one corruption practice after the other.

"I am of the opinion that political will on the part of leaders at all levels is demanded. This is the only potent weapon that has worked in all developed nations and some other saner climes, and it can work here too. "And I am confident that with the disposition of President Muhammadu Buhari, corruption is in big trouble.

"The change project is desirable and badly needed because it is the credible alternative now, but what must change must be made to change by the leadership at all levels of government, our economy must be rolled back from the precipice by being imaginative and innovative; our infrastructure must be radically overhauled, not stomach infrastructure", Osun speaker said.

Also speaking, his Kwara State House of Assembly counterpart, Dr Ali Ahmad, urged the Federal Government to introduce luxury taxes with a view to stemming corruption in the country.

He said the system would discourage office holders from amasing ill-gotten wealth and accumulating worldly luxuries.

Represented by chairman, House Committee on Youth, Sports and Information, Mr Saheed Popoola, the speaker lamented the rate at which Nigerians accumulate luxuries without paying commensurable taxes.

The Speaker said the measure should be domesticated in the country as being done in advanced climes.

He stated that the federal government must be decisive by employing political will, which determines the direction of the governed.

In a similar view, Chairman, House Committee on Committee and Appropriation in the state House of Assembly, Mashood Olanrewaju Bakare, urged the government to make political offices less attractive.

He said doing so would drastically reduce the menace of corruption, which he pointed out, had eaten deep into the fabric of the country.

Also speaking, chairman, Kwara State council of NUJ, Mr Abiodun Abdulkareem, said the union was conscious of the needs of the society, which informed its decision to organise the lecture.

The NUJ boss assured that pen fraternity would continue to uphold the tenets of justice and ensure that office holders are accountable to the people.