The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has
assured the international community that President Muhammadu Buhari’s new
administration will be more determined in the fight against corruption.
Mr Mohammed, who gave the assurance in Washington D.C., in
an interview with the Voice of America (VOA), said the president will not
compromise his anti-corruption programmes and policies.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the minister is in
Washington to engage international media and think tank, promote and reiterate
the successes of the President Buhari’s administration.
In the interview anchored in English by Aliyu Mustapha of
the VOA Hausa service, the minister said that the anti-corruption fight would
be frontal in the agenda of the government “because corruption is one of the
major causes of poverty and underdevelopment in the country.”
He recalled a saying by President Buhari that “if we do not
kill corruption, corruption will kill us’ and reiterated the government’s
commitment to the fight.
“The president is committed to the fight against corruption
and the administration will continue with it.
“For example, the Treasury Single Account has instituted
accountability in government‘s earnings and spendings and the whistle blower
policy has led to the recovery of billions of naira.
“It takes more than four years to clean a country endemic in
corruption. However, it is on record that this administration has driven
corruption under the carpet in four years.
“In the next four years, therefore, the government will
consolidate on the achievements recorded particularly in the fight against
corruption,” he said.
Pervasive insecurity
Speaking on insecurity, the minister said that the
administration would apply multi-dimensional approach besides deployment of
forces.
He said the government was not unaware of other remote
causes of the crises in the affected areas including economic and social
reasons, non-inclusiveness, lack of infrastructure and job opportunities.
The minister noted that the administration had performed
well in addressing insecurity and the country is safer than it was in 2015.
Specifically, he said the government had successfully
secured the entire territory of the country from the Boko Haram while the
farmers/herdsmen clash in Benue had been curtailed.
Mr Mohammed said the fight against banditry, killings and
banditry in Zamfara and Kaduna has “been put under control” in the last two
weeks because of the synergy among the security forces.
He assured that the government will continue to strengthen
partnership on the regional and international levels in addressing the
challenges.
The minister also said that the administration has made
progress in economic recovery with deliberate programmers of diversifying the
economy through agriculture and other sectors, as well as developing
infrastructure.
‘Well deserved electoral victory’
Speaking on the general elections, the minister said
President Buhari’s victory was well deserved and represented “the triumph of
the ordinary Nigerians over the elite”.
He said having delivered on his electoral promises, the
people voted for Mr Buhari and he won the elections fairly and squarely, with
about four million votes.
He also said with the wide margin of winning, the government
did not envisage “any attempt to delegitimise the will of the people”.
Mr Buhari’s main challenger at the polls, Atiku Abubakar, of
the Peoples Democratic Party is already in court seeking to upturn the outcome
of the elections.
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