President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday promised to deepen and institutionalise his administration’s ongoing anti-corruption to ensure that it continues even after his tenure.
A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the President made the promise while meeting behind closed doors with the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Buhari was said to have promised his guest that in fighting corruption, his administration would work within the ambit of the law.
According him, all suspects will be treated as innocent until they are found guilty.
The President said, “We will insist on the standards we are establishing. We are laying down administrative and financial instructions in the public service that must be obeyed. Any breach will no longer be acceptable.
“We will retrain our staff, so that they understand the new orientation. And those who run foul of these rules will be prosecuted, no matter who is involved.
“But we will be fair, just and act according to the rule of law. Anyone perceived corrupt is innocent till we can prove it.
“We will work very hard to establish documentation for successful prosecution, and those in positions of trust will sit up.”
Buhari appreciated the intervention of the US before the 2015 polls, demanding free and fair elections in Nigeria, saying, “America did not do it because of what it stands to benefit from us. You did it for the
