President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the anti-corruption war of his administration is not negotiable as it is one of the reasons he was elected.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving a former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
Mbeki who heads the African Union High-Level Panel on Illicit Flows from Africa, was in Nigeria to give Buhari, who is the current Champion of AU Anti-Corruption Campaign, some updates.
Buhari said since his electoral promises to Nigerians included fighting corruption, he could not afford to let the people down.
He said, “We must fight corruption frontally because it’s one of the reasons we got elected.
“We campaigned on three fundamental issues; security, reviving the economy, and fight against corruption. It’s the reason we got elected, and we can’t afford to let our people down.”
Noting that the government was making progress on the anti-corruption war, “and not just talking,” the President said he was very pleased with the assignment the former South African President was carrying out for the African continent.
He submitted that when Africa is vigorous with the war against corruption, “we will eventually appeal to the conscience of the rest of the world.”
In his remarks, Mbeki said corruption was an African challenge that must be responded to, “as development challenges can only be met through the check of illicit financial flows.”
He said he was delighted that Buhari touches on the issue in most of his speeches, with the most recent being at the United Nations General Assembly last week.
“We are pleased with the way you take up the matter. Countries need the political will to stop the illicit flow. Nigeria has shown good example.
“The more we are showing that we are acting as Africans, the easier to get the rest of the world to cooperate,” Mbeki said.