In spite of scathing criticisms by some highly placed persons both in and outside government, the anti-graft war of President Muhammadu Buhari is on course.
The Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) said that the war remained in full stream with attainment of phenomenal results like never before.
BMSG’s Acting Coordinator, Mr. Austin Braimoh and the Secretary, Mr. Chief Cassidy Madueke, expressed their commendation in a statement released on Thursday in Abuja.
The group made the statement against the back drop of the low rating of the anti-graft war by Senate President Bukola Saraki at the launch of Senator Dino Melaye’s book, “Antidotes of Corruption’’.
Saraki, was quoted as berating the anti-corruption war on the basis that the campaign focuses attention on punishment rather than deterrence, thereby adducing it as the reason why poor results have been recorded so far.
The group that the high integrity of President Buhari has infused steam into the war against corruption, coupled with the fact that anti-graft agencies have been rendering good account of themselves in reducing graft.
“Though the anti-corruption war in Nigeria like every other government initiative is subject to constant review for attainment of higher successes, top public officials at all levels should support the war against corruption rather than subvert it,’’ the group said.
Furthermore, BMSG said that while the present government has always been open to constructive criticisms, it has not concentrated efforts solely on deterrence in its approach to addressing the problem of wide spread corruption in Nigeria.
The group said the Executive has lined up a number of Bills at strengthening the war against corruption with prevention as the main focus, but the Bills were still pending in the National Assembly.
It urged the Senate and the House of Representatives to urgently ensure the speedily passage of the Anti-Corruption Bills, most especially the Bill on Whistle Blowing .
“The President, to the full knowledge of Nigerians, has been allowing the tenets of democracy to guide his conducts as he always submitted himself to guidelines by the constitution.
“So at any rate, the President is not punitive and autocratic as many may believe.’
“If the President has been fighting corruption with kid gloves in line with expectations in some quarters, EFCC would not have discovered the huge sums of foreign and local currencies stashed away in secret places,” the group said.
