Besides barefaced theft of public funds, corruption is the main reason for poor policy choices, the prevalence of poverty in the midst of plenty and waste of resources in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari said in his Goodwill message to the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, Sunday in Port Harcourt.
In a message delivered on his behalf by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, the President declared that “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.”
Further clarifying his administration’s commitment to the war against corruption, the President said the fight against corruption is not just a moral battle for virtue and righteousness in the land, but “is a fight for the soul and substance of our nation.”
He said corruption is the main reason why a potentially prosperous country like Nigeria struggles to feed itself and provide jobs for millions adding that the high rate of in the infant, maternal mortality statistics, the hundreds of thousands of annual deaths from preventable diseases are all 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 disclosed that “we are 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.”
Briefing the conference on the economy, the President disclosed that “we must change the paradigm of thinking about our economy and the ultimate good of the majority while creating 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.”
Safety nets must also be created 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 entrepreneurial training, the President said.
The President praised the Bishops’ Conference that their “bold critical interventions at various crucial moments in our 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.”
In his speech, the President of the Conference, Igantius Kaigama, the Archbishop of Jos commended the Buhari administration’s commitment to the fight against corruption and praised the formation of a Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption.
According to him, “the president is dead right that if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill us.” He also prayed that God will give the citizens of Nigeria a new heart.
Elizabeth Archibong
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