.Latest rating under Buhari vindicates us, says PDP
.Buhari deserves kudos for diminishing corruption in public service
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday observed that the “abysmal” 2020 corruption index report on Nigeria by Transparency International (TI), has further confirmed that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government “is a citadel of corruption and the most corrupt administration in the history of our nation.”
Making this declaration in a statement by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, the main opposition party asserted that the TI report, which showed the country plunging to a putrid 149th on the corruption perception index in 2020 – dropping 13 places since 2015 – under the watch the president, “is an incontrovertible confirmation that our nation is more corrupt under President Buhari and the APC, than it was in 2015 when they took office.”
Part of the statement read: “This descent into the abyss of corruption only goes to show that President Buhari’s anti-corruption stance is a mere swindle used to delude Nigerians while the vaults were laid open for APC leaders and officials of the Buhari administration to plunder.
“Indeed, the record of unbroken decline from 136th in 2016 to 144th in 2018, 146th in 2019 and now 149th in 2020, under President Buhari, the African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Champion’, settles the now notorious fact that the Buhari administration and the APC are titleholders in corruption.
“Nigerians can now see that what the APC and the Buhari Presidency did, upon assumption of office, was to simulate a holier than thou attitude, deploy the instrument of propaganda to deliberately castigate the PDP with false corruption allegations just to divert public attention and create a safe atmosphere for APC leaders to loot our nation to her knees.
“The fact remains that no matter how lies and falsehood try to prevail, the truth will always come to light at the end of the day.
“From the oil and inland revenue sectors to security, health, agriculture, food security, healthcare, transportation, road infrastructure, power, education, environment, among other critical sectors, none was spared from the kleptomaniac fingers of corrupt APC leaders and the cabal in the presidency.
“Nigerians can now see that our alert on the allegation of the stealing of over N15 trillion by APC leaders and political cronies in the presidency, was not just an opposition propaganda but a patriotic stance which the APC and its administration has not been able to counter.
“The Buhari administration has failed to go after APC leaders and cronies allegedly involved in the stealing of over N9.6 trillion as detailed in the leaked NNPC memo, the over N3trillion in fraudulent oil subsidy regime as well as trillions stolen from agencies including, the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Social Investment Programme as revealed by First Lady, Aisha Buhari, the COVID-19 funds among a litany of frauds.
“The financial rot in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under the Buhari administration, including stealing of recovered funds, underscores the level of corruption under the APC.
“It is equally appalling that the decay has reached a frightening situation where, under Mr. President’s watch, employment opportunities are sold to young boys and girls at alarming costs ranging between N1.5m and N5m.
“Moreover the Buhari Presidency has failed to open up on its yearly budget for Nigerians.”
The PDP maintained that now that APC administration has been further “exposed,” adding that Nigerians should join in the demand for the ruling party to commence the processes of refunding the N15 trillion allegedly stolen by its leaders before exiting the political firmament in 2023.
.Buhari deserves credit for diminishing corruption in public service
The Buhari administration deserves credit for diminishing corruption in the public service and will continue to vigorously support prevention, enforcement, public education and enlightenment activities of anti-corruption agencies.
We are currently analyzing the sources of data used in arriving at the latest Transparency International (TI) report on Corruption Perceptions Index in Nigeria since by their own admission, they don’t gather their own data.
This report is not an accurate portrayal of the facts on ground.
In the coming days, the Government’s Technical Unit on Governance Research (TUGAR) will be providing more detailed information on the sources of the TI data.
While this is being awaited, the examination carried out on their 2019 report showed that 60 percent of their data was collected from businesses and other entities with issues bordering on transparency and the ease of doing business at the ports.
Although this is a government ready to learn from mistakes and make corrections, the economy of this country, in its fullness, is bigger than the sea ports we have.
We are also not unaware of the characters behind the TI in Nigeria whose opposition to the Buhari administration is not hidden.
We have repeatedly challenged TI to provide indices and statistics of its own to justify its sensational and baseless rating on Nigeria and the fight against corruption. We expect them to come clean and desist from further rehashing of old tales.
A Naira denominated review that excludes recoveries in Dollars, Pounds, Euro shows that a sum of N1.2tn was recovered by EFCC between 2009 — 2019. N939bn of that total was recovered between 2015 – 2019 with less than N300bn recovered in the first six years.
Additionally, preventative instruments deployed by this administration such as Treasury Single Account (TSA), Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) coverage expansion and the removal of 54,000 ghost workers from federal civil service saving us N200bn annually serve as evidence that perception is not reality.
Reality is based on verifiable facts and data. And any evidence-based analysis would prove that whether it is by prevention or punitive measures in recoveries and prosecution, this administration would be rising fast up these rankings rather than standing still.
Organizations should be factual in their analysis and be prepared to rely on inputs outside of sensational media reports and age-old narratives which have not been updated to reflect today’s reality in Nigeria concerning its globally-respected war on corruption.
In the existential fight against this multi-pronged malice and manifestations of corruption, President Muhammadu Buhari has avowed that he would take-no-prisoners, guided by respect for the rule of law.
We invite Nigerians to stand with an administration that has done so much on asset recovery, prosecution, legislation, political will and leadership by example in the fight against corruption.
Equally, we urge our friends in the media, development partners and the civil society organizations to continue to support efforts to strengthen accountability, transparency, ethical values and integrity in Nigeria’s public sector.
President Buhari has put his hand to the plough and will not relent in working with those passionate about the welfare, stability and prosperity of future generations to come in Nigeria.
