President Muhammadu Buhari says the war against corruption has come to stay in Nigeria.
According to him, Nigeria remains committed to fighting corruption "today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow."
He said this in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday while unveiling the African Union’s anti-graft campaign at the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU.
The theme of the summit is: "Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to African Transformation."
President Buhari told African leaders that his administration had gone far in its change agenda of which the fight against corruption was an important part.
Buhari described srong institutions as a necessary condition for winning the fight against corruption.
He said to win the war, African leaders must empower anti-corruption agencies and insulate them from political influence.
President Buhari cited a report that the continent lost $50 billion annually to illicit flow of capital.
According to him, the manifestation of corruption in Africa is a demonstration of need for strong leadership.
He called on African nations to build synergy between the executive, judiciary and legislature in order to entrench good governance.
He said Africans, especially leaders, must have a change of mindset by prioritising accountability and transparency in order to succeed in the fight against corruption.
Buhari, however, noted that fighting corruption is not going to be a straight forward task as corruption will always fight back.
He said irrespective of any setback faced in the fight against corruption, African leaders must remain resolute.
He recommended, among other things, that an African youth congress against corruption be organised and criminal justice system be strengthened in order to win the anti-graft war.
Details later..
