Corruption ratings: Your report is based on fiction, Buhari tells Transparency International
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday asked the global anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI) to focus on facts and not fiction in adjudging the nation’s current corruption index.
Recall the TI ranked Nigeria low in its 2017 Corruption Perception Perception Index (CPI) released on Wednesday.
The latest ranking has Nigeria in the 148th position out of 180. The country, according to the CPI, scored 28 out 100, a figure lower than the average in the Sub-Sharan region.
However, in a swift reaction, the presidency urged the global anti-corruption watchdog to appreciate the President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort so far in cleaning up the mess of past administrations globally rated for corruption.
Read the full statement below:
President Buhari Asks Transparency International To Focus On Facts, Not Fiction
The Presidency notes that, while it welcomes constructive criticisms from the anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI), the organization has a responsibility to reflect the larger picture of the concrete and verifiable achievements of the Buhari administration since it came into office in May 2015.
The government is still wondering the criteria or facts used by the anti-corruption watchdog to arrive at its very misleading and unfair conclusions in its assessment of the Federal government’s efforts in this anti-corruption crusade.
Political will is the first major component of fighting corruption in any country and President Buhari has made a huge difference by demonstrating not only the political will but also the extraordinary courage to go after high profile looters, including former military service chiefs and Judges.
It was once unthinkable to touch or prosecute the ‘‘big men’’ for corruption in Nigeria but President Buhari has ended impunity for corruption.
Today, the Buhari administration has made accountability the bedrock of governance and corruption is no longer fashionable because it attracts consequences. Competency
Blocking leakages for corruption through the rigid enforcement of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) had made life tougher for corrupt officials. He regretted that these efforts were not acknowledged by the Corruption Watchdog.
Figures published by the EFCC, the anti-corruption agency, reveal that N738.9 billion was recovered in just two years of the Buhari administration and this impressive and unprecedented record is worthy of mention and acknowledgement by anybody genuinely looking at the larger picture of the country’s progress in the war against corruption.
During the 7th session of the Conference of State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in Vienna, Austria, the Chairman of the Agency Ibrahim Magu noted that the figure represents $2.9 billion dollars.
Besides these impressive recoveries of looted funds, the EFCC has recorded more than 140 successful prosecutions.
The Federal government has also signed international agreements to recover the proceeds of corruption and to block the laundering of stolen assets abroad by public officials.
Anybody who knows where Nigeria was coming from would not believe that corruption is worse under the Buhari administration.
We wonder where they got their facts from. At a time, they are alleging increase in the incidence of corruption under this government, the whole of Africa is applauding by choosing President Buhari as the continental Champion to lead the fight against it.
