President Muhammadu Buhari came into power seemingly on the mantra of anti-corruption, but five years into his term in office Nigerians are increasingly disappointed as daily news of top-level corruption in government continues to astound even as official response amount to lip service from the ruling APC government. Nigerians generally see the fight against corruption as slow and cloaked in secrecy. The lack of transparency in the manner cases of corruption by top government officials is either acknowledged or handled continue to elicit criticism within and outside Nigeria.
The Financial Times of London in a recent report noted that “President Buhari promised to reduce graft but his record to date has been mixed.” The paper observed that’s serious criticisms within Nigeria over lack of progress in stemming corruption.
As criticism continues to mount the Buhari administration goes on the defense with its own version of reality –even as the recent case of alleged massive graft involving the former EFCC Acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu continues to befuddle Nigerians.
According to TheGuardian of London, “Nigeria’s president, who came to power with a pledge to tackle corruption, has said he needs more time to sort out the problem but has begun no successful prosecutions and has appeared to condone colleagues tainted by serious allegations.”
“None of the many corruption cases initiated by the administration has ended in a conviction. A former secretary to the federation who allegedly diverted 270m naira (£578,000) of funds meant for people displaced by Boko Haram to accounts linked to him was only charged last month, two years after being indicted by the Senate. It took months of pressure from the press and parliament for him to be fired; he is currently one of the leaders of the president’s campaign in his home state of Adamawa,” concludes TheGuardian.
But it appears President Muhammadu Buhari will not be deterred by baseless criticisms by the opposition in his determination to eradicate chronic corruption in Nigeria in his capacity as the African Union continental anti-corruption champion.
The president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, made the statement on Tuesday when he fielded questions from State House correspondents in Abuja.
The presidential aide was speaking with reporters on some issues raised by the opposition PDP since the beginning of the interrogation of suspended Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu.
Shehu said the volume and reach of the anti-corruption crusade had so far reflected what the PDP left behind.
“Corruption became so normalized by the PDP that they had difficulty defining what is corruption and theft,” he stated.
The spokesman lauded Buhari’s determination to end corruption in Nigeria.
“The large number of cases, new and old, may appear to be daunting but PDP, which is now heckling the president, has forgotten that the party bequeathed this to the current administration.
”They had a large number of cases they did not investigate and prosecute.”
Shehu also warned the PDP to allow the process of investigation and prosecution to work, instead of being preemptive about ongoing cases and unduly agitating the public.
He expressed his optimism that the judiciary would deal with the cases swiftly and satisfactorily in a manner that would deter other would-be offenders.
“The current administration is handling many of the cases that the PDP should have dealt with and the new ones as they arise,” Shehu said.
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