President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians, while delivering his address at the annual Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation Lecture, that he would expose treasury looters in due time. He said that the extent corruption had eaten deep into our national fabric was sad. He decried the situation where some leaders were diverting national resources to private use.
‘’As I stated recently, a good number of people who abused their positions are voluntarily returning the illicit funds. I have heard some people saying that we should disclose the names of the people, and the amount returned. Yes, in due course, the Central Bank of Nigeria will make information available to the public on the surrendered funds, but I must remark that it is yet early days, and any disclosure now may jeopardize the possibility of bigger recoveries”, he said
According to him, “we owe Nigerians adequate information, and it shall come in due course. It is part of the collective effort to change our land from the bastion of corruption it currently is, to a place of probity and transparency.
‘’When you see dilapidated infrastructure round the country, it is often the consequence of corruption. Poor healthcare, collapsed education, lack of public utilities, decayed social services, are all products of corruption as those entrusted with public resources put them in their private pockets”.
He added: “That must stop if we want a new Nigeria .And that was why I said that people need not fear me, but they must fear the consequences of their action. Corrupt Acts will always be punished, and there will be no friend, no foe. We will strive to do what is fair and just at all times, but people who refuse to embrace probity should have every cause to fear”.
By Dike Onwuamaeze