President Muhammadu Buhari says very soon, all government
financial transactions will be done in the open and available for Nigerians to
monitor.
According to Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, Buhari
said this at the passing-out parade of detective inspector course five of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Kaduna on Tuesday.
The president said his resolve is to ensure that no
financial transactions is done in secret, and that they are made available to
Nigerians for scrutiny.
“My resolve is to ensure that the reforms are deepened such
that there will be no hiding place for corrupt persons and proceeds of
corruption. My aim is to ensure that no government financial transaction is
done in secret and all are subjected to public scrutiny,” Buhari was quoted to
have said.
“The objective of this administration is to institute a
level of transparency in governance through mainly information technology
platforms. Just as advanced democracies and some developing countries, I am
determined that within a short period, citizens would be able to follow core
government operations online,” President Buhari said.
“Our government has reached an advanced stage in Fiscal
Transparency. The Appropriation Bill is placed online within hours of its
presentation in the National Assembly. The Budget Office of the Federation has
been engaging interest groups in the budget cycle. A pilot scheme of 10 MDAs
has been test running online display of their budgets and expenditure
movements.”
Buhari added that his administration is committed to online
disclosure of beneficial owners of companies. He, however, said the owners are
not cooperative.
“I am aware that the portals are ready but owners of
companies are unwilling to comply with all disclosure requirements. May I use
this opportunity to urge all well-meaning Nigerians to fully comply,” he said.
“We have been working within the frameworks of National
Action Plan for Open Government Partnership (OGP), National Anti-Corruption
Strategy which is an adaptation of United Nations Convention Against Corruption
and the Global Forum for Asset Recovery (GFAR). Several of the reforms have
been effective for several years with great impact on revenue and expenditure
management. These include; the Government Integrated, Financial and Management
Information System (GIFMIS), Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information
System (IPPIS), Single Treasury Account, and Bank Verification Number (BVN).
“Executive Orders, such as Preservation of Suspicious Assets
Connected with Corruption (Executive Order 6), Nigerian Financial Intelligence
Unit (NFIU) Act 2018; and Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act 2018 have
been operating for a few years and effectively limiting system opportunities
for corrupt practices.”
According to Buhari, the administration’s war against
corruption has also attracted international endorsements.
Commending the efforts of the anti-graft agency, Buhari
expressed conviction that Nigeria is winning its anti-corruption war.
He added that “the right policies have been put in place to
fight corruption and the fight is becoming much more effective”.
“Our fight against corruption is being recognized by the
international community as real and effective. The face of the country abroad
is also changing as the international community is beginning to see Nigeria
making substantial progress in the enthronement of transparency, accountability
and good governance,” he said.
“I have listened attentively to the report in the speech
presented by the Chairman of EFCC. The report is an attestation that the right
policies have been put in place to fight corruption and the fight is becoming
much more effective. I make bold to say that Nigeria is winning the war against
corruption. I congratulate the EFCC on its good work and I urge that the
current level of success be sustained and accelerated,” he said.
On his part, Ibrahim
Magu, acting chairman of the EFCC, said
the commission “on its part is currently developing its Statement of Strategy
for 2020 to 2025, in line with the five pillars of National Anti-Corruption
Strategy. This was preceded by an earlier strategic plan which was successfully
implemented.”
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