President Muhammadu Buhari was at the Anti-Corruption Summit In London today. Below is his full speech at the historical event.
Fellow Heads of State & Government,
The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the Rt. Honourable
Patricia Scotland, QC,
Business Leaders,
Representatives of Civil Society Organizations,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to be invited to this event to exchange views
with you my fellow invited guests representing Governments, the Private Sector
and Civil Society Organizations. I thank you Your Excellency, the
Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, for asking me to speak at this
gathering.
2. Corruption is a hydra-headed monster and a cankerworm
that undermines the fabric of all societies. It does not differentiate between
developed and developing countries. It constitutes a serious threat to good
governance, rule of law, peace and security, as well as development programmes
aimed at tackling poverty and economic backwardness. These considerations
informed my decision to attend this event as well as the Anti-Corruption Summit
organized by Prime Minister Rt. Hon. David Cameron that will be held tomorrow.
I expect that today’s event would feed into the discussions that will be held
tomorrow at Lancaster House.
3. In 2003, when the world came together to sign the United
Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) that entered into force in 2005,
it was with a view to tackling the growing threat that corruption had become to
many nations. Little did we know that eleven years since then, the problem
would still continue unabated, but even become more intractable and cancerous.
Excellencies,
4. Permit me to share with you our national experience in
combating corruption. I intend to do this by placing the fight against
corruption in Nigeria within the context of the three priority programmes of
our Administration. On assumption of office on 29th May 2015, we identified as
our main focus three key priority programmes. They are, combating insecurity,
tackling corruption and job creation through re-structuring the declining
national economy.
5. Our starting point as an Administration was to amply
demonstrate zero tolerance for corrupt practices as this vice is largely
responsible for the social and economic problems our country faces today. The
endemic and systemic nature of corruption in our country demanded our strong
resolve to fight it. We are demonstrating our commitment to this effort by
bringing integrity to governance and showing leadership by example.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
6. Tackling the menace of corruption is not an easy task,
but it is possible even if many feathers have to be ruffled. Our Government’s
dogged commitment to tackling corruption is also evident in the freedom and
support granted to national anti-corruption agencies to enable them to carry
out their respective mandates without interference or hindrance from any
quarter including the government.
7. Today, our frontline anti-corruption agencies, namely,
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt
Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Code of Conduct
Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), have become revitalised
and more proactive in the pursuit of perpetrators of corrupt practices,
irrespective of their social status and political persuasion. This is a radical
departure from the past.
8. We have implemented the Treasury Single Account (TSA)
whereby all Federal government revenue goes into one account. This measure
would make it impossible for public officers to divert public funds to private
accounts as was the practice before. Through the effective application of TSA
and the Bank Verification Number (BVN), we have been able to remove 23,000
ghost workers from our pay roll, thereby saving billions that would have been
stolen.
9. We are also reviewing our anti-corruption laws and have
developed a national anti-corruption strategy document that will guide our
policies in the next three years, and possibly beyond.
10. I am not unaware of the challenges of fighting
corruption in a manner consistent with respect for human rights and the rule of
law. As a country that came out of prolonged military rule only sixteen years
ago, it will clearly take time to change the mentality and psychology of law
enforcement officers. I am committed to applying the rule of law and to
respecting human rights. I also require our security agencies to do the same.
11. I admit that there are a few cases where apparently
stringent rules have been applied as a result of threats to national security
and the likelihood that certain persons may escape from the country or seek to
undermine the stability of Nigeria. It is for this reason that we are seeking
the support of many countries for the prosecution of certain individuals
residing in their jurisdictions. Of course we will provide the necessary legal
documents and whatever mutual assistance is required to secure conviction of
such individuals, as well as facilitate the repatriation of our stolen assets.
12. Unfortunately, our experience has been that repatriation
of corrupt proceeds is very tedious, time consuming, costly and entails more
than just the signing of bilateral or multilateral agreements. This should not
be the case as there are provisions in the appropriate United Nations
Convention that require countries to return assets to countries from where it
is proven that they were illegitimately acquired.
13. Further, we are favourably disposed to forging strategic
partnerships with governments, civil society organizations, organized private
sector and international organizations to combat corruption. Our sad national
experience had been that domestic perpetrators of corrupt practices do often
work hand-in-hand with international criminal cartels.
14. This evil practice is manifested in the plundering and
stealing of public funds, which are then transferred abroad into secret
accounts. I therefore, call for the establishment of an international
anti-corruption infrastructure that will monitor, trace and facilitate the
return of such assets to their countries of origin. It is important to stress
that the repatriation of identified stolen funds should be done without delay
or preconditions.
15. In addition to the looting of public funds, Nigeria is
also confronted with illegal activities in the oil sector, the mainstay of our
export economy. That this industry has been enmeshed in corruption with the
participation of the staff of some of the oil companies is well established.
Their participation enabled oil theft to take place on a massive scale.
16. Some of us in this hall may be familiar with the Report
released by Chatham House, here in London, in 2013, titled “Nigeria’s Criminal
Crude: International Options to Combat the Export of Stolen Oil.” The important
findings of the Chatham House document are illuminating and troubling. Part of
the Report concluded that:
a) Nigerian crude oil is being stolen on an industrial scale
and exported, with the proceeds laundered through world financial centres by
transnational organized criminals.
b) Oil theft is a species of organized crime that is almost
totally off the international community’s radar, as Nigeria’s trade and diplomatic
partners have taken no real action.
c) Nigeria could not stop the trade single-handedly, and
there is limited value in countries going it alone.
17. It is clear therefore, that the menace of oil theft, put
at over 150,000 barrels per day, is a criminal enterprise involving internal
and external perpetrators. Illicit oil cargoes and their proceeds move across
international borders. Opaque and murky as these illegal transactions may be,
they are certainly traceable and can be acted upon, if all governments show the
required political will. This will has been the missing link in the
international efforts hitherto. Now in London, we can turn a new page by
creating a multi-state and multi-stakeholder partnership to address this
menace.
18. We, therefore, call on the international community to
designate oil theft as an international crime similar to the trade in “blood
diamonds”, as it constitutes an imminent and credible threat to the economy and
stability of oil-producing countries like Nigeria. The critical stakeholders
here present can lead the charge in this regard.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
19. By the end of our summit tomorrow, we should be able to
agree on a rules-based architecture to combat corruption in all its forms and
manifestations. I agree fully with the Commonwealth Secretary-General that
anti-corruption is a shared agenda for civil society, business and government,
requiring commitment from companies, creating a space for civil society and
governments providing support for whistle-blowers.
20. A main component of this anti-corruption partnership is
that governments must demonstrate unquestionable political will and commitment
to the fight. The private sector must come clean and be transparent, and civil
society, while keeping a watch on all stakeholders, must act and report with a
sense of responsibility and objectivity.
21. For our part, Nigeria is committed to signing the Open
Government Partnership initiatives alongside Prime Minister Cameron during the
Summit tomorrow.
22. In conclusion, may I commend the Commonwealth
Secretary-General and her team for hosting this important event. This is a very
encouraging way to start your tenure. We wish you the very best as you guide
the affairs of the Commonwealth family in the years to come.
23. I thank you.
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