PRESS STATEMENT OFFICIAL LAUNCH/DEPLOYMENT OF STOPTHEBRIBES.NET

Introduction: On behalf of the Nigeria Police Force, Canadian High Commission and the CLEEN Foundation, I warmly welcome you all to this press briefing, which is being organized to publicly launch and deploy stopthebribes.net About stopthebribes.net Stopthebribes.net is an Ushahidi-based user-friendly ICT platform through which cases of lower level bribes and extortion by public officials that come in contact with members of the public on the streets, highways or in the course of business can be monitored and reported by victims and/or witnesses simply by using mobile phones to call, sending text messages, emails or make direct entries on the website, including upload of videos or photographs which provide evidences of such incidences. Interface is also created between the platform and social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, skype, blog, etc., so that messages from them can automatically be converted and integrated on the map showing corruption hotspots in Nigeria. The project is divided into two phases: (i) Development of stopthebribes.net and (ii) launching/deployment of the platform. This phase of the project is being supported by the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives managed by the High Commission of Canada. The second phase of the project is aimed at increasing the awareness of members of the public on the use of the platform is being supported by the Justice for All Program of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) For more information on how to use the platform please visit www.stopthebribes.net Appreciation We also use the opportunity to appreciate those that have made the project implementation a reality. The funding support of the Canadian High Commission, the Justice for All Program of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Nigeria Police Force that have made commitment in holding their personnel accountable through the Corruption Tracking Situation Room that is being set up under the project at the Force Headquarters, Abuja. We thank you all for taking out time out of your busy schedules to grace this press briefing, thank you all for coming. ‘Kemi Okenyodo Executive Director CLEEN Foundation