Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has warned that if the government of Muhammadu Buhari is not able to sustain the current fight against corruption, Nigeria will be in grave danger.
“If we are not able to sustain the trouble against corruption, we will end up in a very, very bad way as a nation.”
Osinbajo, who spoke today, Tuesday, when he received in audience, members of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers at the Presidential villa. Abuja, expressed worry over the Defence contract of $15 billion which was frittered away in people’s pockets, saying that it is half of Nigeria’s foreign reserves.
The Vice President said that the fight against corruption is a difficult fight and that “we have seen it in so many different ways that at almost every state, corruption fights back and fights very fiercely.”
Professor Osinbajo however cautioned: “we should be able to examine our priorities because for us, corruption is not a moral issue; it is an existential issue. To a large extent, it will determine whether we will survive as a corporate whole because of the way people feel that when I get into an office I will go after the resources of the state, and I will go after it in the most vicious and the most reckless manner that is possible.”
He advised that in response to the malaise of corruption, the intellectual elites, whether religious, political in particular or academic elites must stand up for what is right.
Earlier, the leader of the Association, Professor Godwin Nwabueze Okeke, appealed to the Vice President to declare open the forthcoming 50th Conference of the Association which is taking place in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka in June, 2017.
He said that the Association is solidly in support of the Federal Government and is ready to assist in whichever way needed.
Also, today at a separate meeting, Vice President Osinbajo restated that the Federal Government is keen in its desire to support the establishment of a Chamber of Commerce for young people across the Niger Delta region to drive creativity and entrepreneurship.
He said, when he met with a delegation of Niger Delta Expatriate Mentorship Committee an initiative led by the Minister of Niger Delta, Mr. Uguru Usani Uguru in his office, that the expatriate mentorship scheme which is in partnership with UNESCO is in alignment with the commitment of the Buhari Presidency for the region and is capable of catalyzing development in the region.
He observed that the international mentorship/internship will expose beneficiaries to international standard, best business practice and technology.
the leader of the organization and Chief Mentorship Officer, Mr. Chika Olejeme said that under the National Expatriate Mentorship Strategy, selected youths will be sent abroad for international mentorship and internship and that 30 countries in Europe and the United States of America have already signed up to the programme. [myad]
