Those who returned stolen funds will be named in due
course – Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday promised to reveal
the names of former government officials who have voluntarily returned looted
funds to the coffers of the Federal Government in “due course”, saying that
early disclosure of their identities “may jeopardize the possibility of bigger
recoveries.”
“In due course, the Central Bank of Nigeria will make
information available to the public on the surrendered funds,” said President
Buhari at the 2015 edition of the annual Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation
Lecture in Lagos.
He said his government owes Nigerians adequate
information on recovery of looted funds, explaining that it is part of the
collective effort to change the country from the “bastion of corruption it
currently is, to a place of probity and transparency”.
In his speech, Buhari said his government has identified
corruption as the major problem facing the country. He noted that the
phenomenon must be curtailed if the issues of collapsing educational system,
diversification of our economy, fostering a welfare based agenda for the
disadvantaged, infrastructural development, which were central to his
government’s change agenda, could be effectively tackled.
“The primary attention that tackling corruption earned in
the course of our campaign and in determining the final outcome of the election
underpins how seriously Nigerians see corruption as a fundamental factor
crippling the progress and development of the country. Nigerians are, indeed,
convinced that except we curtail corruption, the country will remain in perennial
regression.
“It is upon this conviction of our people that corruption
poses great danger and should be curtailed that we anchor our hope. It
underpins our assurance that the efforts of this government in checking
corruption will yield significant successes in the final outcome.
“In other words, we note that sheer heroism cannot
achieve the elimination of corruption from our social space. What is most
required is the conviction of the populace that corruption is an antithesis to
social cohesion and development, and must be eliminated. We must get to a point
where every Nigerian begins to hate corruption with a passion, and collectively
determine to root it out of our body polity.”
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