President Muhammadu Buhari has
accused “looters” of attempting to compromise law enforcing institutions in order to pervert justice.
Speaking at the opening of
Corruption Risk Assessment training for heads and senior officials of
anti-corruption agencies in Abuja on Monday, Buhari vowed that his
administration would continue to tighten the noose by implementing policies
aimed at building resilient systems that can withstand assault by corrupt
officials.
He reminded the participants from
22 African countries that the fight against corruption “is a battle for the
souls of our different countries and it is one that we must win.
“Since independence our continent
has suffered from the severe consequences of corruption and it is imperative
that we take steps to reverse the trend,” he said.
“The pervasive nature and
devastating impact of corruption on the Nigerian nation had become
dysfunctional. The momentum for our electoral victory could not be separated
from the revolt of the people against glaring endemic corruption.
“During the past months, we have
been taking steps to institute integrity and transparency in the processes of
government and holding those who have plundered our commonwealth to account for
their actions.
“However, the costs of recovery
and sanctions are also enormous. While commendable successes have been
recorded, it has become manifest that corruption fights back. With enormous
stolen resources elements have attempted to compromise law enforcing
institutions and pervert the course of justice.
“This realsation highlights the
necessity of building a system that focuses on preventing corruption. We
continue to implement policies aimed at building resilient systems that can
withstand assault by corrupt officials.”
Buhari listed steps his
administration to build resilient systems that can withstand looters antics to
include: “the full implementation of both the treasury single account (TSA) and
the bank verification number (BVN), the open government partnership, various
executive orders, strengthening the anti-corruption agencies and permitting
their full autonomy.
“It is in this context of
building robust preventive systems that we must understand this initiative
which aims to train leaders of anti-corruption agencies in the African Union by
deploying Corruption Risk Assessment Methodology for corruption prevention in
our countries.
“Corruption Risk Assessment seeks
to identify corruption-prone processes and procedures in organisations and
recommend appropriate remedial steps. The methodology places a premium on
prevention as an effective complement to enforcement in the war against
corruption.”
Usman Abubakar, chairman of the
Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), said when loopholes and
leakages in the systems are plugged, people will be denied access to public
funds and as such will not have the opportunity to misappropriate it.
“This is against pursuing
individuals after the the deed is done, an action that drains a lot of
resources admits challenges that create uncertainty of the outcomes,” he said.
“To this end, ICPC stands on the
principle that an ounce of prevention is worth more than anyone of remedy.
“We have gathered the
anti-corruption agencies in Africa in order to impart this special skill to
cascade it down to AU states as part of Nigeria’s contribution in minimizing
corruption on the continent.”
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