Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / NewStats: 3,156,839 members, 7,831,721 topics. Date: Saturday, 18 May 2024 at 03:59 AM |
Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / See What Buhari Said At Common Wealth Even For Tackling Corruption In London (736 Views)
Biafra: What Buhari Should Have Done To Nnamdi Kanu- Yerima Shettima / See What Tinubu Said At SW APC Peace Meeting Yesterday That Shows He Is A Leader / Buhari Speaks At The Tackling Corruption Together Conference In The UK (2) (3) (4)
(1)
See What Buhari Said At Common Wealth Even For Tackling Corruption In London by Nobody: 11:39am On May 11, 2016 |
Fellow Heads of State & Government,
• The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the Rt.
Honourable Patricia Scotland, QC,
• Business Leaders,
• Representatives of Civil Society Organizations,
• Your Excellencies,
• Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to be invited to this event to exchange views with
you my fellow invited guests representing Governments, the
Private Sector and Civil Society Organizations. I thank you Your
Excellency, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, for
asking me to speak at this gathering.
2. Corruption is a hydra-headed monster and a cankerworm that
undermines the fabric of all societies. It does not differentiate
between developed and developing countries. It constitutes a
serious threat to good governance, rule of law, peace and
security, as well as development programmes aimed at tackling
poverty and economic backwardness. These considerations
informed my decision to attend this event as well as the Anti-
Corruption Summit organized by Prime Minister Rt. Hon. David
Cameron that will be held tomorrow. I expect that today’s event
would feed into the discussions that will be held tomorrow at
Lancaster House.
3. In 2003, when the world came together to sign the United
Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) that entered into
force in 2005, it was with a view to tackling the growing threat
that corruption had become to many nations. Little did we know
that eleven years since then, the problem would still continue
unabated, but even become more intractable and cancerous.
Excellencies,
4. Permit me to share with you our national experience in
combating corruption. I intend to do this by placing the fight
against corruption in Nigeria within the context of the three
priority programmes of our Administration. On assumption of
office on 29th May 2015, we identified as our main focus three
key priority programmes. They are, combating insecurity, tackling
corruption and job creation through re-structuring the declining
national economy.
5. Our starting point as an Administration was to amply
demonstrate zero tolerance for corrupt practices as this vice is
largely responsible for the social and economic problems our
country faces today. The endemic and systemic nature of
corruption in our country demanded our strong resolve to fight it.
We are demonstrating our commitment to this effort by bringing
integrity to governance and showing leadership by example.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
6. Tackling the menace of corruption is not an easy task, but it
is possible even if many feathers have to be ruffled. Our
Government’s dogged commitment to tackling corruption is also
evident in the freedom and support granted to national anti-
corruption agencies to enable them to carry out their respective
mandates without interference or hindrance from any quarter
including the government.
7. Today, our frontline anti-corruption agencies, namely, the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the
Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences
Commission (ICPC), the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the
Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), have become revitalised and
more proactive in the pursuit of perpetrators of corrupt practices,
irrespective of their social status and political persuasion. This is a
radical departure from the past.
8. We have implemented the Treasury Single Account (TSA)
whereby all Federal government revenue goes into one account.
This measure would make it impossible for public officers to
divert public funds to private accounts as was the practice
before. Through the effective application of TSA and the Bank
Verification Number (BVN), we have been able to remove
23,000 ghost workers from our pay roll, thereby saving billions
that would have been stolen.
9. We are also reviewing our anti-corruption laws and have
developed a national anti-corruption strategy document that will
guide our policies in the next three years, and possibly beyond.
10. I am not unaware of the challenges of fighting corruption in
a manner consistent with respect for human rights and the rule
of law. As a country that came out of prolonged military rule
only sixteen years ago, it will clearly take time to change the
mentality and psychology of law enforcement officers. I am
committed to applying the rule of law and to respecting human
rights. I also require our security agencies to do the same.
11. I admit that there are a few cases where apparently
stringent rules have been applied as a result of threats to national
security and the likelihood that certain persons may escape from
the country or seek to undermine the stability of Nigeria. It is
for this reason that we are seeking the support of many
countries for the prosecution of certain individuals residing in their
jurisdictions. Of course we will provide the necessary legal
documents and whatever mutual assistance is required to secure
conviction of such individuals, as well as facilitate the repatriation
of our stolen assets.
12. Unfortunately, our experience has been that repatriation of
corrupt proceeds is very tedious, time consuming, costly and
entails more than just the signing of bilateral or multilateral
agreements. This should not be the case as there are provisions in
the appropriate United Nations Convention that require countries
to return assets to countries from where it is proven that they
were illegitimately acquired.
13. Further, we are favourably disposed to forging strategic
partnerships with governments, civil society organizations,
organized private sector and international organizations to combat
corruption. Our sad national experience had been that domestic
perpetrators of corrupt practices do often work hand-in-hand
with international criminal cartels.
14. This evil practice is manifested in the plundering and stealing
of public funds, which are then transferred abroad into secret
accounts. I therefore, call for the establishment of an
international anti-corruption infrastructure that will monitor, trace
and facilitate the return of such assets to their countries of
origin. It is important to stress that the repatriation of identified
stolen funds should be done without delay or preconditions.
15. In addition to the looting of public funds, Nigeria is also
confronted with illegal activities in the oil sector, the mainstay of
our export economy. That this industry has been enmeshed in
corruption with the participation of the staff of some of the oil
companies is well established. Their participation enabled oil theft
to take place on a massive scale.
16. Some of us in this hall may be familiar with the Report
released by Chatham House, here in London, in 2013, titled
“Nigeria’s Criminal Crude: International Options to Combat the
Export of Stolen Oil.” The important findings of the Chatham
House document are illuminating and troubling. Part of the Report
concluded that:
a) Nigerian crude oil is being stolen on an industrial scale and
exported, with the proceeds laundered through world financial
centres by transnational organized criminals.
b) Oil theft is a species of organized crime that is almost totally
off the international community’s radar, as Nigeria’s trade and
diplomatic partners have taken no real action.
c) Nigeria could not stop the trade single-handedly, and there is
limited value in countries going it alone.
17. It is clear therefore, that the menace of oil theft, put at
over 150,000 barrels per day, is a criminal enterprise involving
internal and external perpetrators. Illicit oil cargoes and their
proceeds move across international borders. Opaque and murky as
these illegal transactions may be, they are certainly traceable and
can be acted upon, if all governments show the required political
will. This will has been the missing link in the international efforts
hitherto. Now in London, we can turn a new page by creating a
multi-state and multi-stakeholder partnership to address this
menace.
18. We, therefore, call on the international community to
designate oil theft as an international crime similar to the trade in
“blood diamonds”, as it constitutes an imminent and credible threat
to the economy and stability of oil-producing countries like Nigeria.
The critical stakeholders here present can lead the charge in this
regard.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
19. By the end of our summit tomorrow, we should be able to
agree on a rules-based architecture to combat corruption in all its
forms and manifestations. I agree fully with the Commonwealth
Secretary-General that anti-corruption is a shared agenda for civil
society, business and government, requiring commitment from
companies, creating a space for civil society and governments
providing support for whistle-blowers.
20. A main component of this anti-corruption partnership is that
governments must demonstrate unquestionable political will and
commitment to the fight. The private sector must come clean and
be transparent, and civil society, while keeping a watch on all
stakeholders, must act and report with a sense of responsibility
and objectivity.
21. For our part, Nigeria is committed to signing the Open
Government Partnership initiatives alongside Prime Minister
Cameron during the Summit tomorrow.
22. In conclusion, may I commend the Commonwealth Secretary-
General and her team for hosting this important event. This is a
very encouraging way to start your tenure. We wish you the
very best as you guide the affairs of the Commonwealth family
in the years to come.
23. I thank you. |
Re: See What Buhari Said At Common Wealth Even For Tackling Corruption In London by Mynd44: 11:39am On May 11, 2016 |
(1)
Military: Fight Against Niger Delta Militants Will Be Rational / Saraki, Oshiomhole Raise Alarm Over Alleged Plot To Destabilise Nigeria-vanguard / Is There Still Hope For Common Man In This Country?
(Go Up)
Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 24 |