President Muhammadu Buhari said Wednesday in New Delhi, India that his administration would not relent in the fight against corruption.
According to Buhari, who is on a four-day visit to India, where he is attending the 3rd Summit of the India and African Nations, the battle would be sustained many years.
He said that prosecution of fraud suspects would serve as object lesson for others, adding that his main targets are to curb corruption, plug all loopholes in public sector accounting and deploy available resources for the good of all Nigerians.
Buhari who spoke during a meeting with members of the Nigerian community said he would prioritise the recovery of looted funds.
He said this was borne out of the consciousness of the huge 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.”
