I Will Show Personal Leadership In War Against Corruption

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), has said that he would show personal leadership in the anti-corruption war if elected in the forthcoming general elections.

He also promised to declare his assets publicly and to ensure that no force, external of internal,, occupies an inch of the nation’s territory while he is in office.

This Buhari’s position is contained in text tagged: ‘My Covenant With Nigerians’, issued by the former head of state.

This covenant, according to him, is an outline of his agenda for Nigeria and to provide a bird’s eye view of how his government intends to bring about the change that the nation needs and deserves.

“This Covenant is derived from the manifesto of my party, the APC. It, however, represents my pledge to you all when I become your president”, he said.

Buhari, who during his campaigns had maintained that his government would have zero tolerance for corruption, in the covenant disclosed that “if Nigeria does not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria.”

He stressed that he would show personal leadership in the war against corruption and also hold all the people who would work with him to account, adding that he would start by making a public declaration of his assets and liabilities and encouraging his political appointees to do same.

“Our strategy for tackling corruption will not only focus on punishment; rather, it will also provide incentives for disclosure and transparency,” he stated, noting that he would work with the National Assembly to strengthen the anti-graft agencies, the ICPC and the EFCC, by guaranteeing institutional autonomy, including financial and prosecutorial independence and security of tenure of officials.

Furthermore, he stated that his government would make the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) an autonomous and operational agency, and that he would encourage proactive disclosure of information by government institutions in the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act.

He also stated that his government would inaugurate the National Council on Procurement as stipulated in the Procurement Act so that the Federal Executive Council, which has been turned to a weekly session of contract bazaar, would concentrate on its principal function of policy making.

Buhari’s government would review and implement audit recommendations by Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), and work with the National Assembly towards the immediate enactment of a Whistle Blower Act.

He noted that he would also ensure all MDAs regularly comply with their accountability responsibilities to Nigerians through the National Assembly, and work with the leadership of the National Assembly to cut down the cost of governance. (Leadership)