AGENCY REPORT……
President Muhammadu Buhari has said government has recovered and still recovering trillions of naira that were stolen in the past few years by people without conscience.
At the commissioning of the headquarter building of the Economic And Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in Abuja on Tuesday, Buhari said the nation was experiencing another milestone in its determined and collective fight against corruption.
“Throughout my journey in national service and since 2015, I have made a very conscious decision to pursue a vigorous fight against corruption in public life.
“Since 2015, we have made significant progress in the fight against corruption. Everyone now knows that corrupt officials will be held to account, no matter how long it takes.
“We are pursuing recoveries everywhere and are making sure that anyone who has been found culpable is made to answer for his or her crime under the law.
“ It is my hope and expectation that the judiciary, which is a critical stakeholder and partner in the war against corruption, would continue to collaborate with the Executive to bring corrupt people to book,’’ he said.
He called on the legislature which provides the legal framework for the anti-corruption war to add more verve to the determination of government to rid our nation of the brazen corruption.
Buhari urged the lawmakers to engaged in the fight through reviewing archaic provisions in our laws and proactive passage of new legislation.
He said that no amount of obstacles would be big enough to deter the government from fighting the war against corruption.
Referring to the edifice, Buhari said: “ What I see here is not only a structure of concrete and metal, I see in this edifice, the resolve of Nigerians to fight corruption.
“But structures are not the whole story. We must CHANGE our ways of handling public trust.
“Corruption not only kills governments but destroys societies. It is the major reason why we are struggling with basic developmental issues that other comparable nations have long overcome.
“ War of corruption is not an easy one to fight, because it affects so many different branches of our lives, so much that some people do not even consider breaking trust is anymore a crime.
“It has become the norm. That is why we must fight this attitude and encourage Nigerians to CHANGE their attitudes and perspectives.’’
The goal of the administration, he said was to ensure the protection of public trust, and the anti-corruption war is at its centre.
“We never intended, and we are not engaged in witch-hunts, but we are determined within the laws to call people to account.
“ It is for this reason that we appeal to Nigerians to support regulatory agencies like Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, because fighting corruption is everyone’s concern. I call on the Judiciary and the National Assembly to join hands in this national effort.
“I am glad to note that quite a number of nations are signifying interest to help us tighten their laws and enter into agreements with Nigeria to repatriate not only stolen funds but to make the culprits face due process of law.
“We are committed to working with our foreign friends to stop the inflow of stolen funds from Nigeria into their countries and recovering what is there already. These assets, when repatriated will be put to building our infrastructure.’’
NAN
