Nigeria recovered not less than N7.8 billion through the whistle-blowing policy introduced 17 months ago by President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
President Buhari stated this Monday in Abuja while declaring open a week-long event organised by the Federal Government to celebrate the successes it has achieved through the Open Government Partnership, OGP, initiative.
Buhari, who said that graft in previous administrations was responsible for Nigeria’s unimpressive security situation and state of economy, explained that his administration had put in place a two-pronged approach to deal with the issue of grand corruption by arresting the negative trend and creating a self-sustaining system of transparency and accountability.
The President, who was represented by Yemi Osinbajo, the country’s Vice President, said “Corruption has been an existential issue for Nigeria, threatening our very existence as a nation. It has ensured that resources meant for the majority were cornered by a few.
“The corruption issue underlies every aspect of our existence as a nation; from the security situation to the state of our economy. It is why, despite the record revenues of many years, the country has nothing to show for it in terms of infrastructure and jobs. Similarly, despite the billions of Dollars invested in security, Boko Haram insurgency and other cases of insecurity did not abate.
“But we have come up with a two-step approach to deal with the issue of corruption. The first is to stop grand corruption. The second and most self-sustaining is to create a system of governance that ensures transparency and accountability.
“Since assuming office three years ago, we have made remarkable progress in pushing the frontiers of transparency and accountability in government. The whistle-blowing programme, which we launched in December 2016, has seen the recoveries of N7.8 billion, $278 million and £27,800 as at March 2018.
“Leveraging technology, our efforts at fighting corruption has been applauded by the international community. Nigeria’s experience has shown that technology and innovation and social media platforms are changing the way citizens engage with government. Citizens and non-state actors are now empowered to hold government accountable,” Buhari said.
