P
ProfRem
Guest
Nigeria's president, Muhammadu Buhari has said that compared to his first coming as a military Head of State in 1984 when he could order the arrest of alleged corrupt individuals and put them in protective custody to prove their innocence, dictates of the Rule of Law and due process have slowed him down in prosecuting corrupt official now.
He spoke in Teheran, Iran Republic at a forum with the Nigerian community. He told his audience that treasury looters in the Jonathan administration have started returning stolen funds.
Buhari said those accused of corruption would have been prosecuted by now, but for the need to thoroughly investigate them with a view to gathering enough evidence to facilitate their prosecution.
Buhari said, “on corruption; yes, they are still innocent. But, we are collecting documents and some of them have started voluntarily returning something. But we want all. When we get those documents, we will formally charge them to court and then we will tell Nigerians to know those who abused the trust when they were entrusted with public funds. So, the day of reckoning is gradually approaching.”
The President also pledged to deal with saboteurs in the power sector to restore sanity and service delivery to the people.
Buhari, who noted that he has yet to give any direct policy directive on the power sector before the improvement in supply lately, said the government will ensure that the needful, especially improvement of security, was done to sustain improved services.
He said: “I believe if you are in touch back at home, you would have been told that already, there is some improvement in power supply.
“We haven’t said anything to them yet. I think they only find it sensible or appropriate for them to try and improve on supply.
“I’m sure you know about the privatisation of the power sector; your old friends, NEPA or Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have been sold to private concerns. But the fundamental thing about us is that we remain potential in everything except performance.
Earlier, the Nigerian Charge D’Affairs, Dr. Ali Magashi, told the President that Nigerians living in the Islamic country were law-abiding.
He spoke in Teheran, Iran Republic at a forum with the Nigerian community. He told his audience that treasury looters in the Jonathan administration have started returning stolen funds.
Buhari said those accused of corruption would have been prosecuted by now, but for the need to thoroughly investigate them with a view to gathering enough evidence to facilitate their prosecution.
Buhari said, “on corruption; yes, they are still innocent. But, we are collecting documents and some of them have started voluntarily returning something. But we want all. When we get those documents, we will formally charge them to court and then we will tell Nigerians to know those who abused the trust when they were entrusted with public funds. So, the day of reckoning is gradually approaching.”
The President also pledged to deal with saboteurs in the power sector to restore sanity and service delivery to the people.
Buhari, who noted that he has yet to give any direct policy directive on the power sector before the improvement in supply lately, said the government will ensure that the needful, especially improvement of security, was done to sustain improved services.
He said: “I believe if you are in touch back at home, you would have been told that already, there is some improvement in power supply.
“We haven’t said anything to them yet. I think they only find it sensible or appropriate for them to try and improve on supply.
“I’m sure you know about the privatisation of the power sector; your old friends, NEPA or Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have been sold to private concerns. But the fundamental thing about us is that we remain potential in everything except performance.
Earlier, the Nigerian Charge D’Affairs, Dr. Ali Magashi, told the President that Nigerians living in the Islamic country were law-abiding.