Disaster looms in Nigeria — FG

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has raised the alarm that with the way corruption is being perpetrated in Nigeria, the three arms of government must collaborate "to rescue our nation from looming disaster." The vice president stated that corruption threatened the country’s security, health, education and even its corporate existence. He spoke in Abuja on Wednesday […]

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has raised the alarm that with the way corruption is being perpetrated in Nigeria, the three arms of government must collaborate "to rescue our nation from looming disaster."

The vice president stated that corruption threatened the country’s security, health, education and even its corporate existence.

He spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at a workshop jointly organised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the National Judicial Institute. His speech was released  to journalists by his spokesman, Laolu Akande.

According to him, "There is no question at all that this is the time for us to open a new page in the entire anti-corruption fight."

He said the executive was determined to provide whatever required "to ensure that all of the cases that need to be heard and investigations that need to be done are done. This is the collaboration of all of us; the executive, the judiciary and the legislature must see this as a fight for the soul of our nation."

Osinbajo, who said corruption was worse than the security challenge, revealed that former President Goodluck  Jonathan, two weeks before the 2015 elections, released cash in excess of N100 billion and over $250 million "ostensibly for security purposes.

"The aggregate sum released was more than some states earned in a whole year. That is the enormity of the embezzlement that we are talking about.

"GAVI, the global fund for provision of vaccines for the poorest in developing countries, stopped providing funds to Nigeria for alleged mismanagement of funds by the Ministry of Health officials between 2011 and 2013. Nigeria had to refund $2.2million. These were vaccines and drugs meant to fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria, amongst the poorest of the poor of our country.

"The enormous resources in the hands of perpetrators today is used to subvert justice, to bribe pliable senior government officials, to bribe in some cases judicial officers, to subvert the legislative process and, of course, even to subvert the press. The problem with corruption is that it is a cancer. It may be terminal if not checked. The failure of African States, civil wars and destruction of lives and livelihoods, is the result of failure of institutions largely caused by endemic systemic corruption."