Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, in this interview with MUYIWA OYINLOLA, explains that though corruption is a global phenomenon, the All Progressives Congress (APC), through the current administration, has done a lot to address the problem, among other issues.
What is your assessment of the state of the nation, with particular references to the anti-graft war, economy and national unity that appears to be ebbing away?
If you take a closer look at Nigeria of today, we can agree that things are not the way they used to be anymore. Speaking with every sense of responsibility as a nationalist and a great lover of Nigeria, our country, in the last few years, has passed through a very challenging period.
Within this period, we have recorded some major gains and at the same time, we have had to endure a plethora of issues that have constantly put the leadership of this country on their toes – to change policies where necessary and come up with a problem-solving approach in handling these challenges.
Corruption is a global phenomenon and it is not limited to Nigeria or Africa. No doubt, any serious nation that hopes to grow its economy and develop every facet of its country must give priorities to its anti-graft war. In 2015, when President Muhammadu Buhari was elected as the 4th democratic president of Nigeria, he pledged to fight corruption and empower the anti-graft agencies to function effectively without interferences from any quarter.
We are all living witnesses to the pervasive corruption and impunity that was the hallmark of the last two administrations presided over by the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), before the All Progressives Congress came on board in 2015. President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-graft war was endorsed by world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and ever since then, this administration has successfully carried out high profile prosecutions, convicted criminals within and outside of the political space and secured assets forfeiture.
For the first time, we witnessed the prosecution of judges, government agencies (NNDC, NSIT and EFCC), top military officers and expatriates who are in the business of bribing government officials in Nigeria. As at today, the anti-graft agencies, under the present administration, had recovered funds in excess of N800 billion and secured more than 1,400 convictions. These recoveries in cash (local and foreign currencies) and assets I believe, will help stimulate our economic growth.
You can also see what the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is doing, before now, drug pushers had a field day trafficking illicit drugs and tarnishing the country’s image abroad. Today, that institution has recorded numerous successes in smoking out these bad eggs and this has drastically improved our image, globally.
So, when you look at the records so far and compare with what was obtained before, you will agree with my opening statement that things are not the way they used to be.
Culled from the Leadership News Nigeria
