The World Bank yesterday said multinational companies from the European and latin American countries were still giving bribes to officials in Nigeria and several other African countries where they operate.

Also, the bank said the war against corruption by Presi-dent Olusegun Obasanjo's administration was paying off and predicted that 2006 could be a historical year in the control of corruption if resolute reforms in key areas were fully implemented.

Making this known in Abuja in his review of recent trend on governance and anti-corruption and implication for the future Director, Governance and Anti-corruption of the World Bank Institute, Dr. Daniel Kaufmann said, "we found that multinationals are still paying bribes in Africa. Multinationals in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in Europe and Latin America that have laws and legislations against corruption are still giving bribes in their countries of operations in Africa."

He said the public sector should not only be blamed for corruption as "it takes two to tango." He said accusing fingers should also be pointed at the private sector and the multinationals for either being accomplices or the principal players in the game of corruption.

Kaufmann said it was evident that the “resolute reforms” embarked upon by the administration in the past one year and a half was beginning to pay off although there had been some delays.

According to him, “it is becoming evident that the resolute reforms undertaken by the Nigerian leadership and government over the past a year and a half are beginning to pay off already, even though we know that there is always some delays in any measure.”

He believed if the current momentum is sustained, the progress made against corruption could become irreversible and 2006 would be a turning point but pointed out that the Federal Government was still faced with enormous challenges in its efforts going forward.

The World Bank director identified areas where the Federal Government had made significant improvement in the control of corruption to include handling of public finances especially at the federal level. He said “there have been much less leakages in the administration of the budget.”

He added that there was reduction in the extent of bribery in such areas in judiciary, tax, permits and procurement as well as reduction in money laundering activities.

While noting that there was improved accountability, he said evidence showed that there was remarkable improvement in government effectiveness.

Kaufmann who put the figures of corrupt transaction at $1 trillion worldwide, expressed optimism that Nigeria would not be rated high in corruption anymore with the kind of reforms being entrenched.

In her remarks, Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the assessment of the World Bank was a testimony of government’s determined effort against corruption. She said the development indicated that the government was moving in the right direction.

While admitting that there are still challenges ahead of the government as it takes time to correct the ills of the past, she said the government was encouraged that the reforms are having the desired impact on corruption.

On why the administration has not announced improved wages and salaries to civil servants to help in the fight against corruption, Okonjo-Iweala said the government was sanitizing the system to weed out ghost workers and thereafter announce an improved package for the government workers. According to her, next year would be a year of civil service reforms when the government will look at the issues of salary increments