I am proud to leave behind the legacy of fighting corruption in 2023 - Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari said he was happy to leave office in 2023 with a legacy and reputation as an anti-corruption campaigner.
He also pledged to support efforts to root out corruption in Nigeria and across Africa, regardless of his position in or out of power.
The president, who 'came to power' on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, promising to fight corruption, improve the economy and secure the country, is expected to step down after completing his second four-year term in 2023.
He spoke in his recorded remarks played at an anti-corruption forum co-hosted by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) and other anti-corruption agencies in Abuja on Thursday.
>The event was organized to mark the 6th African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Day in commemoration of the adoption of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC).
The theme was "Strategy and mechanisms for the transparent management of Covid-19 funds, lessons from the pandemic".
Mr. Buhari, who has less than a year to leave office, reaffirmed his declared abhorrence of corruption and his determination to rid the country of corruption, while expressing his pride in his "legacy of fighting corruption". /p>
"Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, we must continue to fight for the good of present and future generations. Our young people have nowhere to go and live with dignity but in Africa. As I leave office l next year, I'm proud to leave behind a legacy of fighting corruption and more.
"I personally abhor corruption and I will do my best in office or out to get rid of corruption in Nigeria and Africa in general. I urge our youth to join me in this noble cause. My fellow African leaders have enabled us to work together at all levels to get rid of corruption in Africa.
“Posterity will judge us well if we deal with corruption appropriately. It is imperative to kill corruption in Nigeria and in Africa. This will give our people a better life,” the president said.
While Mr. Buhari acknowledged that the fight against corruption has not been easy, he said there is still much to be done in the areas of asset recovery, prosecutions, convictions and arrests , as well as anti-corruption laws.
“I must admit that the fight has not been a bed of roses. Really, much more work on many fronts is needed. at all times. The private sector must contribute to the fight against corruption.
"The international community needs to shut down safe houses. The judiciary needs more impetus. Perhaps an international anti-corruption criminal court is needed. Family and religious values need to be improved, and schools have a lot of work to do for a better society,” Mr. Buhari said.
Mr. Buhari who raised the hopes of many Nigerians on his determination to fight corruption and the problems that come with it with his mantra, “Corruption will kill Nigeria if Nigeria does not kill corruption”, in his speech of nomination in 2015, is generally believed to have performed below expectations in this regard.
The recent pardon granted by his administration to two convicted former governors of Taraba and Plateau states, Jolly Nyame and Joshua Dariye, respectively, while their prison sentences already upheld by the Supreme Court were still pending, was the final straw that would have exposed the president's insincerity about his avowed war on corruption.
The latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2021 from Transparency International, released in January, also indicated worsening corruption in Nigeria, with the country scoring 24 out of 100, one point lower than its performance in the previous IPC 2020 report.
Nigeria's ranking, 154th out of 180 countries assessed in the report, was also five places down five places from its position in the 2020 report.
President Buhari affirmed on Thursday that the fight against corruption must be continued in Africa for the benefit of present and future generations.
“Our young people have no other place to go and live with dignity than in Africa. As I leave office next year, I am proud to leave behind a legacy of fighting corruption and more,” he said.
‘Create an international anti-corruption tribunal’The president also called for the creation of an international anti-corruption tribunal to try offenders, a proposal that PACAC had been suggesting to the administration since the first days of its arrival on board.
He urged African leaders to step up the fight against corruption and create more disincentives for the looting of public funds.
Speaking further, the President accused Africa...
President Muhammadu Buhari said he was happy to leave office in 2023 with a legacy and reputation as an anti-corruption campaigner.
He also pledged to support efforts to root out corruption in Nigeria and across Africa, regardless of his position in or out of power.
The president, who 'came to power' on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, promising to fight corruption, improve the economy and secure the country, is expected to step down after completing his second four-year term in 2023.
He spoke in his recorded remarks played at an anti-corruption forum co-hosted by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) and other anti-corruption agencies in Abuja on Thursday.
>The event was organized to mark the 6th African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Day in commemoration of the adoption of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC).
The theme was "Strategy and mechanisms for the transparent management of Covid-19 funds, lessons from the pandemic".
Mr. Buhari, who has less than a year to leave office, reaffirmed his declared abhorrence of corruption and his determination to rid the country of corruption, while expressing his pride in his "legacy of fighting corruption". /p>
"Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, we must continue to fight for the good of present and future generations. Our young people have nowhere to go and live with dignity but in Africa. As I leave office l next year, I'm proud to leave behind a legacy of fighting corruption and more.
"I personally abhor corruption and I will do my best in office or out to get rid of corruption in Nigeria and Africa in general. I urge our youth to join me in this noble cause. My fellow African leaders have enabled us to work together at all levels to get rid of corruption in Africa.
“Posterity will judge us well if we deal with corruption appropriately. It is imperative to kill corruption in Nigeria and in Africa. This will give our people a better life,” the president said.
While Mr. Buhari acknowledged that the fight against corruption has not been easy, he said there is still much to be done in the areas of asset recovery, prosecutions, convictions and arrests , as well as anti-corruption laws.
“I must admit that the fight has not been a bed of roses. Really, much more work on many fronts is needed. at all times. The private sector must contribute to the fight against corruption.
"The international community needs to shut down safe houses. The judiciary needs more impetus. Perhaps an international anti-corruption criminal court is needed. Family and religious values need to be improved, and schools have a lot of work to do for a better society,” Mr. Buhari said.
Mr. Buhari who raised the hopes of many Nigerians on his determination to fight corruption and the problems that come with it with his mantra, “Corruption will kill Nigeria if Nigeria does not kill corruption”, in his speech of nomination in 2015, is generally believed to have performed below expectations in this regard.
The recent pardon granted by his administration to two convicted former governors of Taraba and Plateau states, Jolly Nyame and Joshua Dariye, respectively, while their prison sentences already upheld by the Supreme Court were still pending, was the final straw that would have exposed the president's insincerity about his avowed war on corruption.
The latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2021 from Transparency International, released in January, also indicated worsening corruption in Nigeria, with the country scoring 24 out of 100, one point lower than its performance in the previous IPC 2020 report.
Nigeria's ranking, 154th out of 180 countries assessed in the report, was also five places down five places from its position in the 2020 report.
President Buhari affirmed on Thursday that the fight against corruption must be continued in Africa for the benefit of present and future generations.
“Our young people have no other place to go and live with dignity than in Africa. As I leave office next year, I am proud to leave behind a legacy of fighting corruption and more,” he said.
‘Create an international anti-corruption tribunal’The president also called for the creation of an international anti-corruption tribunal to try offenders, a proposal that PACAC had been suggesting to the administration since the first days of its arrival on board.
He urged African leaders to step up the fight against corruption and create more disincentives for the looting of public funds.
Speaking further, the President accused Africa...
What's Your Reaction?
