The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has advised the current government of President Muhammadu Buhari to rejig his war against corruption in the country to make it more effective and result oriented while throwing its weight behind government’s efforts at stamping out the debilitating ogre of corruption throughout the country.
In a release issued by CACOL’s Media and Publications Officer, Toyin Odofin on behalf of the Executive Chairman, Debo Adeniran, he stated, “The President Muhammadu Buhari’s government actually did well in focusing its attention on stopping the brazen looting of our public treasury by previous administrations. Though it is true that there are some apparent cases of corruption bordering on public looting and acts of dishonesty or certificates’ forgery not clearly disposed with like that of Obono Obla, et al, the government has been able to stymie the mushrooming of corruption within the polity by the remarkable affronts against it waged by both EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The assessment is contingent upon the outcome of the recent forum for all stakeholders, aimed at forging a common strategy in the war against corruption, whereby it was admitted that the crusade against corruption under the present adminis
tration is still far from achieving its goal.
‘The Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, who publicly made this admittance had noted how Nigeria was yet to enact such law that would reveal any individual who lives above their means and could not explain the source of their sudden wealth, vowed that the government was now poised to deal with the wider problem of systemic corruption, especially where the average person interacts with government. It is also noteworthy that incidences of ‘Corruption in Nigeria bedevilling the issuance of contracts, vehicle licenses, passports, clearing of goods at the ports, justice delivery system, police operations, public job recruitment and clearing of office files and banks serving as the pivot of money laundering and illicit financial outflows’, etc., predates this government and even with the best intention, may take time to fully expunge from our body polity.
The CACOL boss added, “Against the backdrop of the noticeable lapses in exterminating corruption, we call for relevant legislative arm, especially the incoming 9th Assembly, to initiate a bill that should make it expedient for those perceived to be living above their means to be lawfully brought in through retooled anti-corruption framework that is ‘pragmatic, its operators not selective in choosing suspects for prosecution as a way of making a dent in the scourge for public funds to work for the common good.’ This could also be done by using the option of an ‘Executive Order’ as evidenced by other nations with serious corruption issue.”
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