President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his main target for fighting corruption was to stop corrupt individuals from seeking to occupy public offices for selfish gains.
This is even as he stated that his government would not relent in the current anti-corruption war, stressing it would continue for many years.
According to him, the prosecution of alleged criminals would serve as a deterrent to others, stating that he was committed to curbing corruption, plugging all loopholes in public sector accounting and deploying available resources for the good of all Nigerians.
The president spoke, Wednesday, during a meeting with members of the Nigerian community in New Delhi, India where he is attending the 3rd Summit of the India and African Nations.
President Buhari also prioritized the recovery of looted funds, saying he was conscious of the devastating consequences of the illegal diversion of public resources meant for national development into private bank accounts.
He said: “The anti-corruption campaign will be on-going for many years. We are committed to the enthronement of good governance that plugs the loopholes in public sector accounting, and the use of scarce resources for public good.
“We are determined to demonstrate exemplary leadership that will make our citizens to change their ways in a manner that lays a solid foundation for reconstruction and development.
“I am confident that our approach to fighting corruption through value re-orientation, improved internal processes and systems and the rule of law, as well as enhancing the capacity of the various anti-corruption agencies and institutions will prove more enduring in addressing this evil.
“In the meantime, we will continue to prosecute those who have been indicted for corrupt practices and ensure that stolen funds are recovered, to serve as deterrence to others who nurse the ambition of seeking public office solely for illegal personal gain”.
The President told the Nigerian community he was fully aware of the expectations of Nigerians who elected him on the platform of change, integrity, probity and accountability, and was therefore doing his utmost best to meet those expectations.
He also vowed to stabilize the economy to enable many teeming youth to get jobs.
The president hinted he was that he was taking proactive measure to end insurgency in the country.
“I wish to assure you that we shall do our best to fix the economy, create jobs for the teeming population of our youths and make the home environment safe, secure and more attractive to Nigerians outside the country like your good selves.
“On the economy, our aim is to address the challenge of infrastructure in all its ramifications, especially power and transportation. We are seeking to create jobs through agriculture, mining, industrial value-addition and the promotion of small scale enterprises.
“We are also taking steps to address criminality across the country. We are tackling the menace of terrorism posed by Boko Haram head on and I am pleased to note that though sporadic attacks on soft targets have not stopped, the over-all capacity of Boko Haram to hold territory and determine the course of the conflict has been severely degraded.
“If the current positive trends are maintained, we are confident that by the end of this year, we would have succeeded in permanently turning the tide against the Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria,” President Buhari said. – Vanguard.
