President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration is determined to bring all corrupt officers to book, regardless of how long it takes.
Listing some achievements of his administration, he noted that it has recovered trillions of naira from stolen funds in the past and it is still making more recoveries.
The President made this known on Tuesday while giving an address during the inauguration of the new office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja.
Furthermore, he expressed hope that the judiciary would continue to collaborate with the Executive to bring corrupt people to book.
The President also called on the Legislature to “review archaic provisions in the law” and add more verve to the determination of the government to “rid the nation of the brazen corruption witnessed in recent years”.
Speaking about the new EFCC office, the President expressed satisfaction that beyond the physical structure, the edifice was a symbol of the Nation’s resolve to fight corruption.
He also noted that the anti-corruption fight begins with a change of mind and attitude from every individual.
He said: “What I see here is not only a structure of concrete and metal, I see in this edifice, the resolve of Nigerians to fight corruption.
But structures are not the whole story. We must CHANGE our ways of handling public trust. Corruption not only kills governments but destroys societies. It is the major reason why we are struggling with basic developmental issues that other comparable nations have long overcome.
“War of corruption is not an easy one to fight, because it affects so many different branches of our lives, so much that some people do not even consider breaking trust is anymore a crime. It has become the norm. That is why we must fight this attitude and encourage Nigerians to CHANGE their attitudes and perspectives”.
He also reiterated that the goal of his Administration is not to witch-hunt anyone but to ensure the protection of public trust, and that the anti-corruption war is at its centre.
President Buhari therefore appealed to Nigerians to support regulatory agencies like the EFCC to achieve its goal of ridding the nation of corruption.
He also expressed gratitude to some nations which he said have indicated interest in helping to end the menace.
According to him, all recovered funds will be used in building the nations infrastructure.
“I am glad to note that quite a number of nations are signifying interest to help us tighten their laws and enter into agreements with Nigeria to repatriate not only stolen funds but to make the culprits face due process of law.
“We are committed to working with our foreign friends to stop the inflow of stolen funds from Nigeria into their countries and recovering what is there already. These assets, when repatriated will be put to building our infrastructure,” Buhari said.
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