The
Nigerian government says anybody who knows where Nigeria was coming
from would not believe that corruption is worse under the Buhari
administration.
The
Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and
Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this in a statement on Friday.
The statement read: “The
Presidency notes that, while it welcomes constructive criticisms from
the anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI), the
organization has a responsibility to reflect the larger picture of the
concrete and verifiable achievements of the Buhari administration since
it came into office in May 2015.
"The
government is still wondering the criteria or facts used by the
anti-corruption watchdog to arrive at its very misleading and unfair
conclusions in its assessment of the Federal government's efforts in
this anti-corruption crusade.
"Political
will is the first major component of fighting corruption in any country
and President Buhari has made a huge difference by demonstrating not
only the political will but also the extraordinary courage to go after
high profile looters, including former military service chiefs and
Judges.
"It
was once unthinkable to touch or prosecute the ‘‘big men’’ for
corruption in Nigeria but President Buhari has ended impunity for
corruption.
"Today,
the Buhari administration has made accountability the bedrock of
governance and corruption is no longer fashionable because it attracts
consequences.
"Blocking
leakages for corruption through the rigid enforcement of the Treasury
Single Account (TSA) had made life tougher for corrupt officials. He
regretted that these efforts were not acknowledged by the Corruption
Watchdog.
"Figures
published by the EFCC, the anti-corruption agency, reveal that N738.9
billion was recovered in just two years of the Buhari administration and
this impressive and unprecedented record is worthy of mention and
acknowledgement by anybody genuinely looking at the larger picture of
the country's progress in the war against corruption.
"During
the 7th session of the Conference of State Parties to the United
Nations Convention Against Corruption in Vienna, Austria, the Chairman
of the Agency Ibrahim Magu noted that the figure represents $2.9 billion
dollars.
"Besides these impressive recoveries of looted funds, the EFCC has recorded more than 140 successful prosecutions.
"The
Federal government has also signed international agreements to recover
the proceeds of corruption and to block the laundering of stolen assets
abroad by public officials.
"Anybody who knows where Nigeria was coming from would not believe that corruption is worse under the Buhari administration.
"We
wonder where they got their facts from. At a time, they are alleging
increase in the incidence of corruption under this government, the whole
of Africa is applauding by choosing President Buhari as the continental
Champion to lead the fight against it.
"Nothing can be more eloquent than this.
"In
the end, this whole episode may turn out to be just a political
distraction, given the strong views some of TI’s patrons have expressed
against the Buhari Administration.
"This
notwithstanding, facts are facts, and those facts won't cease to be
facts even if you don't care to pay attention to them."
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