President Muhammadu Buhari has described corruption as one
of the greatest evils of our time, while speaking in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He spoke while formally launching the African
Anti-Corruption Year 2018 during the Opening Ceremony of the 30th Ordinary
Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
He said, “Corruption is indeed one of the greatest evils of
our time. Corruption rewards those who do not play by the rules and also
creates a system of distortion and diversion thereby destroying all
efforts at constructive, just and fair governance.”
The theme of the 30th African Union (AU) Summit is “Winning
the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.”
Buhari, in a statement signed by his Senior Special
Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu yesterday, appreciated his
African colleagues for entrusting him with such a noble responsibility, while he
pledged to do his best “to ensure that the anti-corruption agenda will receive
the attention it deserves and make the impact we all hope for, during 2018
and beyond.”
He added that Africa has made some significant strides in
enacting legal and policy frameworks such as the African Union Convention on
Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) to address the vice, but the
desired impact had been lacking.
He said, “Fifteen (15)
years after the adoption of the AU Convention, 2018 provides a
good starting point to take stock of progress made so far, assess
what still needs to be done and devise new strategies to address new corruption
challenges.”
According to President, in spite of sustained economic
growth on the continent for the past two decades, “public confidence has been
eroded by a focus on short-term priorities and payoffs, propelled by
corruption, which too often leaves projects uncompleted and promises unfulfilled.”
In tackling bribery and corruption, Buhari said the crucial
place of strong institutions cannot be over-emphasised.
He added “A Judiciary which stands firm against
arbitrariness and injustice by the executive is a vital pillar in the anti-corruption
fight. As leaders, we must build synergy between the Executive, Legislative and
Judicial arms of government in order to entrench good governance, transparency
and accountability.
“Strong institutions are a necessary condition
in any society which aims to fight corruption. In building strong
national and regional institutions, we must adequately empower our national
anti-corruption agencies and insulate them from political influence. We
have to encourage increased institutional collaboration between Law
Enforcement Agencies and anti-corruption Agencies in order to win
this fight.”
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