Our politicians amass wealth in billions and trillions of Naira and other major currencies of the world, ill-gotten wealth which they cannot finish spending in several lifetimes over says Buhari
President Buhari
President Buhari
Nigerians demanding the identities of corrupt former government officials said to have been returning their loot will soon know such people, President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday in Abuja.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will release the names and amounts returned , he said in a keynote address at this year’s edition of the annual Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation Lecture.
He said: “It is yet early days for government to make the names public as doing so might “jeopardize the possibility of bigger recoveries.”
Buhari said the fight against corruption of his government is not about him , but “about building a country where our children, and the forthcoming generations can live in peace and prosperity.”
He vowed that in waging the war, the administration would not know any friend or foe, although he was quick to add that Nigerians need not fear him, but the consequences of corruption.
Buhari stressed the need for the generality of Nigerians to get involved in the anti-graft campaign, “hate corruption with a passion, and collectively determine to root it out of our body polity.”
“Any effort to try to deal with corruption without a convinced populace will end as spasmodic, ephemeral exercise, lacking the appropriate social impact. When we are talking about corruption conventionally, it is a manifestation of the human mindset. It is the human beings that manifest corruption.
“To win the war on corruption, therefore, begins with the people accepting that there is an error to be corrected in their lives, that there is a need to refocus and re-orientate the values that we cherish and hold dear. It requires change of mindset, change of attitude and change of conduct.”
Tracing his abhorrence of corruption, Buhari said: “When given the opportunity to play a leading role in our national history in 1984, we acknowledged that corruption is not just about the embezzlement of public funds, but that the perversion of our consciousness and mindset was the point at stake.
“This was the basis of our War Against Indiscipline (WAI). Indiscipline in any way and manner is a form of corruption of the human essence. That was why we waged campaigns against indiscipline and its many manifestations in the 1980s during my tenure as Head of State of our great nation.
“Sadly in this season, we find ourselves in a Nigeria where indiscipline has been taken to an unprecedented level.
On the returned loot, he said: “As I stated recently, a good number of people who abused their positions are voluntarily returning the illicit funds. I have heard it said that we should disclose the names of the people, and the amounts returned.
“Yes, in due course, the Central Bank of Nigeria will make information available to the public on the surrendered funds, but I must remark that it is yet early days, and any disclosure now may jeopardize the possibility of bigger recoveries. But we owe Nigerians adequate information, and it shall come in due course. It is part of the collective effort to change our land from the bastion of corruption it currently is, to a place of probity and transparency.
Our politicians amass wealth in billions and trillions of naira and other major currencies of the world, ill-gotten wealth which they cannot finish spending in several lifetimes over. This is abuse of trust, pure and simple. When you hold public office, you do it in trust for the people. When you, therefore, use it to serve self, you have betrayed the people who entrusted that office to you.”
He added: “Again, how do you feel year after year, when Transparency International (TI) releases its Corruption Perception Index, and Nigeria is cast in the role of a superstar on corruption? In 2011, out of 183 countries, Nigeria was 143 on the corruption ladder. In 2012, we were 139 out of 176. In 2013, we ranked 144 out of 177, and in 2014, we stood at 136 out of 174. Hardly a record to inspire anyone. In fact, it is sad, depressing and distressing. Our country can be known for better things other than corruption.
“In the process of trying to recover stolen funds now, we are seeking the cooperation of the countries were these loot was taken. Time it was, when such nations may have overlooked our overtures for assistance to fight corruption. However, we now live in an era where corruption is anathema, looked upon as something that should be tackled head-on because the actions of the corrupt can have global impact.”
If this country will realize her potential and take her rightful place in the comity of nations, we must collectively repudiate corruption and fight it to a standstill. It remains eternally true: if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria
