I’m not soft on corruption - Jonathan

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

I’m not soft on corruption - Jonathan
Lawan Hamidu, Abuja

The Presidency has denounced the impression that the Jonathan administration is not doing enough to curb corruption in Nigeria.

Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati said in a statement that President Jonathan remained fully committed to the diligent and effective implementation of his administration’s agenda for national transformation and the eradication of official corruption.

Mr Abati said that in the prosecution of the war against corruption, the Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan believes that the interests of national peace, stability, progress and development override all other considerations and are therefore beyond any compromise.

Reaffirmation of zero tolerance for corruption
He said “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan clearly enunciated his Administration’s zero tolerance for corruption on his assumption of office and has since worked to strengthen the nation’s anti-corruption agencies for greater efficiency and effectiveness. Certainly, nothing has been done or left undone under the President’s watch to justify the labelling of his Administration as soft on corruption”.

Mr Abati said much of the politically-motivated agitations alleging tardiness in the war against corruption revolve around the administration’s handling of the reports of probes that have been undertaken into the management of fuel subsidies in the country.

“President Jonathan wishes to reaffirm, once again, that there will be no sacred cows in the matter and that any organization or individual found guilty of fraud or corruption will ultimately face the full weight of sanctions prescribed by the extant laws of the country. The report of the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidies has already been referred by the President to the EFCC through the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation. In compliance with the President’s clear and unequivocal directives, the EFCC is currently undertaking a thorough and painstaking investigation of all indictments made by the committee with a view to establishing water-tight cases that will be taken before courts of competent jurisdiction as quickly as possible.” Mr Abati explained.

He conveyed the president’s determination to ensure the guilty will not go unpunished as justice will certainly be done in the matter.

“It is also noteworthy that to strengthen ongoing reforms and transformation of Nigeria’s Petroleum sector and in furtherance of efforts to achieve greater transparency and accountability in government, President Jonathan recently approved the re-composition of the executive management team of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Furthermore, in continuation of efforts by his Administration to sanitize Nigeria’s entire petroleum sector, entrench probity, transparency and accountability, and rid the sector of fraud and  corruption to ensure that ordinary Nigerians enjoy more benefits from this God-given natural resource, President Jonathan has directed that the report of the technical committee which reviewed the Petroleum Industry Bill be speedily evaluated and appraised by relevant government ministries and presented to the Federal Executive Council for approval before being returned to the National Assembly for speedy promulgation.” He stated.

Mr Abati said the President has continued to uphold this belief in all his private and official actions.

He therefore urged Nigerians to be wary of those who seek to heat up the polity by politicizing the issue of corruption in the pursuit of their selfish personal and sectional agenda.

PR/Cokey