President Muhammadu Buhari said he is leaving behind a legacy of zero tolerance for corruption in the country.
He stated this at a conference on Fighting Corruption in Nigeria organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) in Abuja on Thursday, 26th January.
He urged Nigerians to set aside any politician who will drag the country back to the corruption era as they prepare to vote in February election.
The President also said that he is leaving behind a legacy of zero-tolerance for corruption for Nigeria’s teeming youths and every citizen, as his tenure ends in a few months.
He added, “In a matter of weeks, Nigerians will need to go to the polls again to elect their leaders in the general elections. I implore Nigerians to reject politicians who would drag our country back to the dark ages in which corruption was made the order of the day,”
“Corruption is evil and must be rejected by all Nigerians. The Nigeria of our dreams can be achieved by integrity, respect for the rule of law, due process, and genuine patriotism,” the President added.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Mustapha, who represented Buhari, further charged the anti-corruption Agencies to concentrate more on asset forfeiture regimes and prosecution to deny looters the gains from the proceeds of their crime to effectiveness the war against corruption.
He stated that all looted assets within and outside Nigeria must be recovered and used for the well-being of citizens. At the same time, the looters will be prosecuted and convicted if found guilty.
“So far, I am happy to say that our anti-Corruption agencies, law enforcement agencies, and regulatory bodies in the fight against corruption have achieved a lot. I boldly say that Nigerians know that as your President, I hate corruption. I have neither shielded nor ordered the arrest of anyone. Rather, I gave our anti-corruption agencies enough resources (human, financial, and material) to deliver on their mandates,” Buhari said.
In his address, the Chairman Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Itse Sagay, said the Committee, working with anti-corruption agencies and relevant stakeholders, made significant contributions to the war against corruption but noted that a lot more still needs to be done to rid Nigeria of corruption.
