DATE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 TH , 2023
International Anti-Corruption Day is observed annually on December 9th to raise awareness
about the detrimental effects of corruption and promote initiatives to combat it. The date
was chosen to commemorate the adoption of the United Nations Convention against
Corruption (UNCAC) in 2003, a landmark agreement in the fight against corruption.
The day serves as a reminder of the importance of combating corruption in all its forms,
promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity in both public and private sectors.
Various events, campaigns, and initiatives are conducted to highlight the damaging impact
of corruption and to encourage individuals, organizations, and governments to take action
against it
As corruption undermines democratic institutions, hinders economic development, and
fuels instability. It also distorts electoral processes, weakens the rule of law, and creates
bureaucratic hurdles. This makes fighting corruption a crucial for promoting good
governance, accountability, and sustainable development.
It is based on this that the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)
organized a one day training on Using Technology Tools to Fight Corruption and Demand for
Inclusion to People Living with Disabilities in Kano State. The training which had 30
participants in attendance drew its participants from the three clusters of people living with
disabilities; people living with hearing impairment (8), people with vision impairment (9),
and the physically challenged (13). In his opening remarks, the Executive Director of CITAD,
YZ Ya’u stated that the essence of organizing the event and particularly focusing on PWDs
was to highlight the endemic nature of corruption and how it is effecting the life of PWDs in
the country. He further stated that empowering the participants in this area will help in
reducing corruption and ensure inclusivity in all aspect of life.
The participants were taken through the concept of the internet and how the internet works
by Ali Sabo. In his presentation, Mr Sabo discussed with the participants the evolution of the
internet, how the internet works, what is internet, social media platforms, how to create
social media accounts, how to harness audience, how to engage with stakeholders on the
internet and the best platforms to advocate for good governance, demand for inclusion etc.
Mr Abdurrahman Babatunde took the participants disability friendly technology tools. In this
presentation, the presenter discussed with the participants different technological tools
that are user friendly for the PWDs. Some of the tools he mentioned were screen readers
(JAWS and NVDA), Braille Displays, Zoom magnification. He also discussed different screen-
to-text software (augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, Microsoft
OneNote, ABBYY FineReader etc.)
Moreover, to ensure the participants are well equipped with the techniques of crafting and
drafting a catchy messages, and also understand the issues that they need to engage on, Mr
Buhari Abba discussed the concept of corruption, accountability and inclusion as they relate
to Nigeria with the participants. He also taught the participants how to craft captivating
messages that can draw the attention of the target individuals and organizations. The last
presentation was done by Mr Babatunde on the new Media Tools for Accountability. On this
part, the participants’ knowledge on the social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,
and LinkedIn were improved.
At the end participants asked questions and made comments on the topics presented.
