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Those who returned stolen funds will be named in due course – Buhari

By Tonye Bakare
11 December 2015   |   12:50 pm
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday promised to reveal the names of former government officials who have voluntarily returned looted funds to the coffers of the Federal Government in "due course", saying that early disclosure of their identities "may jeopardize the possibility of bigger recoveries." "In due course, the Central Bank of Nigeria will make information…
Buhari

Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday promised to reveal the names of former government officials who have voluntarily returned looted funds to the coffers of the Federal Government in “due course”, saying that early disclosure of their identities “may jeopardize the possibility of bigger recoveries.”

“In due course, the Central Bank of Nigeria will make information available to the public on the surrendered funds,” said President Buhari at the 2015 edition of the annual Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation Lecture in Lagos.

He said his government owes Nigerians adequate information on recovery of looted funds, explaining that it is part of the collective effort to change the country from the “bastion of corruption it currently is, to a place of probity and transparency”.

In his speech, Buhari said his government has identified corruption as the major problem facing the country. He noted that the phenomenon must be curtailed if the issues of collapsing educational system, diversification of our economy, fostering a welfare based agenda for the disadvantaged, infrastructural development, which were central to his government’s change agenda, could be effectively tackled.

“The primary attention that tackling corruption earned in the course of our campaign and in determining the final outcome of the election underpins how seriously Nigerians see corruption as a fundamental factor crippling the progress and development of the country. Nigerians are, indeed, convinced that except we curtail corruption, the country will remain in perennial regression.

“It is upon this conviction of our people that corruption poses great danger and should be curtailed that we anchor our hope. It underpins our assurance that the efforts of this government in checking corruption will yield significant successes in the final outcome.

“In other words, we note that sheer heroism cannot achieve the elimination of corruption from our social space. What is most required is the conviction of the populace that corruption is an antithesis to social cohesion and development, and must be eliminated. We must get to a point where every Nigerian begins to hate corruption with a passion, and collectively determine to root it out of our body polity.”

4 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    Keep the good work my president. People will rain abuses on you that you are slow to work; my advice, remain focus and don’t be moved by their sheer trivial comments which anyway is full of enthnic bias, just do the damn prosecution of those who stole the country blind. Then put a system in place to deter corrupt practices. You have my support and of course many Nigerians support you. Enough of corruption! We must kill this cancer if we must have an all inclusive development in the country.

    • Author’s gravatar

      No one says he shouldn’t fight corruption. But doing so at the detriment of of Economy, which is more important, is disastrous. Too bad If this Economy, collapses, it would be on his head. No one would remember the “looters” apprehended.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Government officials feed fat retuned loots, just like Ngozi Iweala and Dasuki and Larmode! It is even better they keep the loots than ‘return it’ for another of their members to loot it again!

  • Author’s gravatar

    UNFORTUNATELY, until Nigerians see tangible proofs all these will remain a Bola Tinubu propaganda project in the eyes of many.
    I encourage the government of Buhari to start working to make government pragmatic to Nigerians.