Vice
President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo said pressure from some Nigerian elite to slow
down the ongoing fight against graft would not deter the Buhari presidency from
ridding the country from the problem of corruption.
Nigeria vice president Prof. Yemi Osinbajo
“We
get regular messages from some Nigerian elite saying cool down,” the Vice
President disclosed regarding pressures on the presidency to relent in the
anti-corruption fight, during a meeting yesterday in his office with a
delegation from the Moslem Congress of Nigeria.
However,
he observed encouragingly that the masses, on the contrary, had a clearer
understanding of right and wrong.
According
to him, “the masses don’t have that problem.”
Although
some elite 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 was 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 was simply unacceptable that in the last 16 years there was 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 explained why money
meant to procure arms were distributed among persons at a time when the
territorial integrity of the nation was being threatened.
“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 had no other agenda than the progress of
this country.
Continuing,
he reassured that “Mr. President and I are extremely focused 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 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 had adopted a common framework in order to avoid
duplication, was led by Mr. Richard Oshowole.
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