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| Osinbajo |
Pressure
from some Nigerian elites to slow down the ongoing fight against graft would
not deter the Buhari presidency from ridding the country from the problem of
corruption, according to Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
“We get
regular messages from some Nigerian elites saying cool down,” the Vice
President disclosed regarding pressures on the presidency to relent in the
anti-corruption fight, during a meeting today in his office with a delegation
from the Moslem Congress of Nigeria.
“It is a
very strange morality that some of those people have, very complicated but
cutting across all tribes and religious differences,” he noted. However he
observed encouragingly that the masses of the Nigerian people on the contrary
have a clearer understanding of right and wrong. According to him, “the masses
don’t have that problem."
Although
some elites are saying “it is not a big deal,” and that government should
merely ask the looters of the commonwealth of the nation to return the money
and go, Prof. Osinbajo expressed gladness that "a new tribe of Nigerians
who would not compromise their values but would maintain a sense of right and
wrong is now emerging".
“The man
on the street is very clear, so whatever some of these elites say, we shall
keep our focus on the masses who voted for us,” the Vice President declared. He
said it is simply unacceptable that in the last 16 years there is not a single
federal government completed road project, not to even talk of rail. “The
reason is corruption,” he asserts, adding that the cost of projects are often
inflated as people entrusted with public trust struggle to enrich themselves at
the expense of the people.
He said
it was the same inordinate desire for enrichment that explains why money meant
to procure arms were being distributed among persons at a time when the
territorial integrity of the nation was being attacked.
“The
insurgency has gone on for 6 years because government could not adequately
equip the military,” he stated
But the
Vice President assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari and himself
would not relent. He said the president and himself have no other agenda
but “the progress of this country."
Continuing,
he reassured that “Mr. President and I are extremely focussed on what we need
to do. We will focus on critical things, infrastructure and social
investments."
Speaking
earlier, the leader of the delegation from the Moslem Congress of Nigeria, Imam
Abdulahi Shuaib conveyed the support of the organization to the government in
its programmes including anti-corruption, and expressed readiness to offer
assistance. According to him, “we are thankful that our candidates of choice in
the election emerged.” He said the choice of the President and Vice President
were made by God Himself during last year’s presidential election.
The Vice
President also received delegations from the Nigeria Society of Engineers, NSE
and the Facility for Oil Sector Transparency Reform, FOSTER, a group composed
of NGOs involved in different issues in the Niger Delta areas.
At his
courtesy meeting with the NSE, Prof Osinbajo praised the engineers and
highlighted the importance of the profession in national development. “There is
no question at all that engineers are central to the development of the
society,” he noted. The NSE delegation was led by its President, Engineer Otis
Anyaeji.
Speaking
earlier while receiving FOSTER, the Vice President restated the government’s
commitment to the development of the Niger Delta. He also commended the group
for coming together to develop a common framework to support the process of
development in the area. The group which said it adopted a common framework in
order to avoid duplication was led by Mr. Richard Oshowole.
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