President Muhammadu Buhari has described corruption as having constituted a parallel system of government in Nigerian, so much that it has over shadowed the real system of government.
“Corruption in our country is so endemic that it constitutes a parallel system. It is the primary reason for poor policy choices, waste and of course bare- faced theft of public resources.”
In a goodwill message delivered on his behalf by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo at the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria today in Port Harcourt, President Buhari said that apart from barefaced theft of public funds, corruption has also been cited as the prevalence of poverty in the midst of plenty and waste of resources in the country.
“Our fight against corruption is not just a moral battle for virtue and righteousness in our land, it is a fight for the soul and substance of our nation.”
The President told the Second Plenary of the Conference that “it is the main reason why a potentially prosperous country struggles to feed itself and provide jobs for millions.
“The hundreds of thousands of deaths in the infant, maternal mortality statistics, the hundreds of thousands of annual deaths from preventable diseases are traceable to the greed and corruption of a few. This is why we must see it as an existential threat, if we don’t kill it, it will kill us.”
On security, the President vowed that his government is on course to militarily rout Boko Haram, and make them incapable of taking and holding territory, adding that suicide bombings in some parts of the North East are the desperate acts of the terrorists to create a sense that they are still in play.
“With vigilance and good local intelligence we will make those cowardly acts practically impossible.”
The President said that his government must change the paradigm of thinking about the economy and the ultimate good of the majority, adding: “while we create an enabling environment for free enterprise, we must reason, plan and budget with the understanding that almost 2/3 of our people are extremely poor, and must be helped first to survive and then to fully participate in the economy of the nation.
“We must create a safety nets for the very poor and vulnerable while ensuring that social spending is also a direct investment in the economy. We must invest substantially in relevant education, teacher training , and vocational and entrepeneurial training.”
The President who had attended the First Plenary of this year’s Conference in February as the presidential candidate of the APC, expressed a sense of honour at the invitation, and delivered to the Conference.
The President praised the Bishops’ Conference, saying that their bold critical interventions at various crucial moments in the national journey have helped to caution, admonish and ultimately stabilize the polity.
“This is as it should be. This nation belongs to us all, leaders in every sector owe it to this generation to contribute in building a good society.”
He asked for daily prayers even as he promised that they who were elected would continue to be committed to the progress of the country in all ramifications.
In his speech, the President of the Conference, Most Rev. Igantius Kaigama, the Archbishop of Jos, commended Buhari for his commitment to the fight against corruption, leading to the formation of a Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption.
“The president is dead right that if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill us” even as he prayed that God will give th citizens of Nigeria a new heart. [myad]
