The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Anti-graft campaign

  • Group hails FG over anti-graft campaign

    The Christian Conscience group on Wednesday commended the President Buhari-led federal government for demonstrating the political will to fight the monster called corruption in Nigeria.
    The group, at the end of its monthly Central Working Committee meeting held in Lagos, noted that corruption has been a cog in the wheel of progress in all facets of our lives.

    According to a statement jointly signed by its National Chairman, Chief Enock Ajiboso and the national publicity secretary Tunji Oguntuase, the group noted with great joy the progress so far made by the government in its fight against corruption and further pledged to support the government in its fight against the menace with all powers within its reach most especially with prayers.

    The statement reads in part: “With the latest revelations coming out everyday, Nigerians have come to realize that huge sums of money meant to fight insurgents in the northern part of the country and also meant to upgrade infrastructures across the country were diverted and shared among political leaders in the last administration all in their determined efforts to continue to rule at all cost, forgetting that it is only God that chooses whom He wants.

    “The looting and diversion of these large sums of money would have been covered up or swept under the carpet if not for God Almighty that enthroned the Buhari-led government.

    “The release further enjoined all Nigerians to be patient with the painstaking methodology that is being used by the government and it’s agencies to finger the looters and their accomplices, block further loopholes as well as to correct mistakes of the past.

    “We are trusting God to give our present leaders wisdom from above to use the proceeds from the recovered looted funds for the betterment of the citizens. So many areas of our daily needs are calling for attention and with the downturn in world economy, the recovered monies will become handy for use to fix the needful and above all in funding 2016 budget.”

    The group further commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for carrying out its duties without fear or favour, but warned that it should realize that the Commission is dealing with powerful men and women in the society who will stop at nothing to curry favors or thwart its efforts, because of enormous resources at their disposals.

    The group also called on the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to ensure that whoever is fingered in the ongoing probes are taken to court and let the full length of the law take its  full course rather than the anti-graft agencies taking laws into their hands.

  • Abia APC chief backs anti-graft campaign

    A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Abia State, Dr Ephraim Iroakazi, has said that the anti-corruption crusade of President Muhammadu Buhari was just what Nigeria needed to move forward.

    Speaking in Umuahia, Iroakazi said the anti-corruption crusade is credible and transparent but not influenced by the president.

    The anti graft agencies which have woken up to their responsibilities are not being controlled by President Buhari despite the fact that he is the president of the country, contrary to what people are saying.”

    Iroakazi said that people are getting to know about the magnitude of corruption in the country because of the exposition being done by the anti-graft agencies under the administration of President Buhari.

    He denied the accusation of selective prosecution from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying, “They were in government for 16 years with nothing to show for it, only corruption in high places and felt and it would continue forever”.

    Iroakazi said, “Corruption is a monster; it has the capacity to fight back. What is important is the political will of those fighting corruption. The PDP crying out is expected: they have been in government for 16 years”.

    He said that President Buhari has embarked on programs that would revive the economy and make life better for Nigeria and has set up a team headed by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to rejuvenate and revive the economy.

    Iroakazi said, “What is happening is putting down required template that will put the economy on sure footing and emphasis is in the area of agriculture and natural resources for food security”.

     

  • Opposition backs President’s anti-graft campaign

    Opposition backs President’s anti-graft campaign

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has supported President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign. But, the opposition yesterday warned that due process must be followed.

    In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, the party warned against using the campaign as a guise “to victimise innocent citizens and curtail the freedom of Nigerians”.

    The PDP said the clarification became necessary to remove any misconception that the party was against Buhari’s decision to probe some past government officials, who are mainly members of the PDP.

    The statement said: “The PDP supports the decision of the Federal Government to fight corruption in our country. However, we make bold to state that it should not be used as a guise to victimise innocent citizens.

    “Democracy has come to stay in Nigeria and no citizen, irrespective of political, religious or ethnic affiliation, should be denied access to due process and the rule of law .

    “In the same vein, we want to state categorically that the anti-corruption war, whilst targeted at the immediate past administration, should not by any means be blind to the impunity of the present leaders of the country, either in terms of borrowing and spending without recourse to the statutory arms and organs of government and dictates of transparency and accountability, or in terms of nepotism in appointments in key institutions, such as INEC and the DSS.

    “The anti-corruption effort must not be blind to the corrupting of the security system resulting in the intrusion by over-zealous operatives on issues bordering purely on politics; the hounding, arrest and detention of Resident Electoral Officers and members of election tribunals in Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and other PDP states.

    “Furthermore, we make bold to state that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands. In that regard therefore, we advice members of the APC blowing the horn ahead of the cart to keep quiet because many of them have been major beneficiaries of corruption and sleazes associated with themselves and their allies, especially one of them who as a disguised errand boy of a well known APC leader is a major beneficiary of the largesse of perpetrators of corruption.

    “Apart from Mr. President, who for now, is not associated with any sleaze or corrupt activity in this democracy, most APC leaders are still those who as governors, ministers and labour leaders have been the worst corrupt set of Nigerians ever to bestride the political landscape of the country.

    “It is a great miscarriage of perception therefore for APC leaders who are perpetrators of sleazes and corrupt acts to attempt to deceive Nigerians with imaginary holiness in this anti-corruption war by the President.

    “Consequently, we counsel Mr. President, as the leader of the APC to remove the log in the eyes of his party while we support his commitment to remove the speck from the eyes of others”.

     

  • Minister faults Nigeria’s TI ranking

    Minister faults Nigeria’s TI ranking

    The Federal Government has watered down the country’s corruption rating by Transparency International.

    The country was ranked 35th on the recent global corruption index.

    The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said both the TI report and a recent Gallup Poll that also showed that Nigeria is among the most corrupt nations globally were products of interactions with Nigerians and synopsis of negative media reports.

    Maku, who was responding to questions from State House Correspondents at the end of the weekly the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, said the rating does not actually reflect the true pictures of things in the country.

    He noted that what most of the rating institutions rely on are people’s perceptions of the country, especially Nigerians and what they get from the media.

    This he said does not take into recognition the efforts of the present administration to deal with the issue of corruption.

    He stressed that the government systematic and institutional approaches are gradually yielding results.

    The minister cited the recent government efforts at arresting the fraud in the fuel subsidy management which has led to prosecution of some suspects.

    Equally, he said the pension scam investigation and prosecution of some government workers were indications of the administration’s readiness to address corruption in the country.

    “Government has continued to take decisive measures against defaulters in the fuel subsidy scam. There are so many issues involved in dealing with corruption. When you are systematic and deliberate reform goes deeper.

    “The president does not seat in court to imprison people. There are institutions set up to do that,” the Minister observed, advising journalists to follow up on institutional proceedings to get to the roots of matters and thereby unearth omissions and commissions, so that government will be able to track and act on such.