In order to ensure that everyone acts only in accordance with the Constitution, President Muhammadu Buhari has been encouraged to leave a legacy of a working system that respects the rule of law.
In a communiqué released during a one-day national conference on Sunday in Abuja, the National Conference—convened by 158 anti-corruption civil society and nongovernmental organisations, faith-based organisations, youth and community-based organizations—made the request.
The conference was called to examine the status of the country and covered a number of basic topics, particularly as they related to education, security, corruption difficulties, and other common concerns.
They pleaded on Buhari to preserve the legacy of fighting corruption, adding that his administration’s efforts had made significant progress and faced new obstacles.
In addition to outlining an agenda for the country’s new administration, the conference stated that there was a need to deliberately assess the current situation.
It was said that the players in the Nigerian project placed a high priority on the issue of corruption and the fight against it.
The anti-corruption initiatives of the Buhari government will ultimately be judged by the behaviour of important officials, particularly those charged with controlling corruption in Nigeria, the conference emphasised.
“Corruption stifles development, erodes confidence in governments, feeds support for extremism, and obstructs efforts to combat poverty and inequality.
Hence, it is our duty as Nigerians to stop, stop corruption in its tracks, and expose it. As a democratic nation, we must not only fight corruption but also keep in mind the requirements of our laws.
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is currently led by Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, has reportedly turned into a hotbed of internal corruption, among other problems, according to the conference.
It accused Bawa of acting in a way that was arbitrary, harmful, disrespectful of Nigerian courts, and abusive to the human rights of those who were the subject of an EFCC investigation. It also strongly condemned his “deliberate defiance of court orders.”
The conference “restates that a convict, as Bawa is seen to be currently, pursuant to the judgement of a court of competent jurisdiction, which has not been vacated, cannot continue to preside over an important law enforcement agency like the EFCC established to fight corruption,” in line with sincere concerns among informed Nigerians, the communique stated.
They urged the next administration to put in a lot of effort, combat corruption aggressively, and make sure that Nigerians remained unified in peace and justice.
“Conference voiced utter discontent with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Naira redesign policy, which over the past three months has severely hampered economic activity.
Moreover, it said, “and, placed Nigerians through unprecedented and unimaginable agony as a result of the lack of local currency as well as the ongoing collapse of the internet banking system.”
It emphasised the necessity for penalties for the needless suffering that Nigerians had to endure as a result of an ill-considered policy.
Despite expressing their satisfaction with the results of the different elections, the organisations criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for not fully adhering to the pledges given to Nigerians.
In addition, they denounced what they viewed as numerous attempts by some politicians and individuals with personal agendas to push the nation perilously close to the cliff, notably the encouragement of ethnic and religious divides among Nigerians.
Also, the organisations urged states and other levels of government to establish real mechanisms for collaborating with and coordinating the Federal Government’s efforts to address the myriad security concerns the nation is now experiencing.
They urged the next government to exert every effort to keep Nigerians together in their pursuit of peace and justice for all. (NAN)
