‘Buhari has reduced public sector corruption’

Public sector corruption has diminished in Nigeria since the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari, says Prof. Bolaji Owosanoye, the Executive Secretary, Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption.
Owosanoye said at the Nigerian House in New York, the United States (U.S.) on Tuesday that fighting corruption was not a “tea party as corruption fights back.’’
The presidential aide was a guest speaker at a workshop on ‘Illicit Financial Flows and Assets Recovery’, jointly organised by the Permanent Missions of Nigeria and Norway to the UN.
“So far, so good. Fighting corruption is not a tea party. Corruption, as they say, always fights back but the government is making progress and making strides.
“There is no doubt that public sector corruption at the highest level has diminished. We are now trying to deal with retail corruption; the kinds that affect the everyday lives of people. (It) may be bribes by police, customs, getting government service but all that is being worked on.
“And it’s important to mention that government is also trying to get the buying-in of the people because the president alone cannot fight corruption.
“But, overall, given where we were coming from and where we were, I think that it is not bad, but there is still a lot that needs to be done.
“There’s no doubt that we need to have a higher level of cooperation from all arms of government – legislature and the judiciary.
“We need to have a higher level of government – federal, state and local government. So, you need both vertical and horizontal. It is important that we focus on all these areas in order for us to begin to see more widely spread, the impact of fighting corruption.”
He dismissed criticisms that Buhari did not have the political will to fight corruption and allegations that he was sparing members of his government or political party.
“People sometimes use `isolated incidents’ to generalise what is happening; but those incidents would be dealt with.
“When they are close to home, sometimes it appears as if there is a slow movement to response.
“But there is no doubt about it that those issues will be resolved in a way that does not diminish the government’s anti-corruption agenda.
“In terms of recoveries, those figures are being reviewed and reconciled and there is going to be some information provided.’’