President Muhammadu Buhari on
Sunday called on nations where looted assets have been stashed to release them
without the usually long technicalities involved in the process of
repatriation.
The President’s Special Adviser,
Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement said Buhari made the call in Nouakchott,
Mauritania during his introductory remarks as the leader of the African Union.
The theme of the year is,
‘Winning the Fight against Corruption, A Sustainable Path to Africas
Transformation.
He said “We must all collectively
work to place high on the agenda the need for open and participatory
government, as well as the repatriation of stolen assets without procedural
technicalities and legal obstacles.”
Buhari also pledged to extend his
anti-corruption crusade across the African continent as part of deliberate
efforts to sensitize Africans on the evil effects of corruption on societies.
He revealed that he had embarked
on various programmes meant to enhance the fight against corruption in a bid to
transform the continent.
He said: “During the last six
months, we have engaged in multi-sectoral dialogue with a broad range of actors
including parliamentarians, national anti-corruption agencies, civil society,
media, youth and women groups and development partners.
“We have convened three (3)
different regional Consultative Workshops in line with my campaign programme in
an effort to sensitize our people on the evil effects of corruption on our
societies.
“These workshops will be extended
to other regional blocs as we continue the fight against corruption in a bid to
transform our continent.”
Buhari also informed the
gathering of his intention to partner with the AU Chairperson to further push
the frontiers of the anti-corruption battle.
President Buhari said he planned
to convene the African Youth Congress in Abuja within the next quarter to
further boost the anti-corruption in the continent.
“We will be working with the
Chairman of the African Union, Paul Kagame and the Chairperson of the African
Union Commission, to organize an Interactive Dialogue on the theme at the next
session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York during the high
level segment,’’ he added
The President also called on all
other Member States that were yet to ratify the African Union Convention on
Preventing and Combatting Corruption to take all necessary measures to sign and
ratify it with a view to achieving its universal ratification this year.
He noted that the Republic of
Mauritius had ratified it (Convention) and thereby becoming the 40th State
Party to the Convention.
The President thanked African
Heads of State and Government “for the continued support provided to me in
driving and amplifying the African Union anti-corruption agenda.”
“Your unwavering support remains
a strong source of strength and encouragement as we look forward to an even
more vigorous second half of this year,’’ he added.
Buhari recalled that the meeting
of the African Union Peace and Security Council held under the chairmanship of
Nigeria in April 2018 highlighted the corrosive effect that corruption could
have on societies.
He said the meeting also
considered the link between corruption and conflict and its implications for
peace and security in Africa.
The President said the meeting
concluded by emphasizing the need to utilize South-South cooperation mechanisms
through voluntary information exchange, mutual legal assistance and sharing of
best practices among national anti-corruption agencies, audit agencies and
investigative bodies.
Buhari stressed that, “the
scourge of illicit financial flows continues to bite, eating back the gains and
militating against the attainment of our aspirations under Agenda 2063 and the
Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.”
He reiterated Nigeria’s abiding
commitment to the fight against corruption.
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