President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday signed executive order to freeze assets of individuals with suspected corruption cases and other relevant offences in the country.
He signed the Executive Order No. 6 of 2018 “On the Preservation of Assets Connected with Serious Corruption and Other Relevant Offences” at a short ceremony in the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to the President, there is a very strong link between corruption, which is everywhere in the country, with peace and security of the country.
He said: “I am delighted to welcome you all to this very important occasion which is another milestone in the fight against corruption – a project that is very crucial to the viability and continuous well-being of this country. Whilst there are many reasons why Nigeria has been struggling; regrettably, the most unfortunate cause of great disparity between Nigeria’s wealth and its poverty is endemic corruption.
“There is also a very strong link between corruption, peace and security. Unfortunately, corruption is everywhere; at all levels of government, and every stratum of our society. Without doubt, corruption constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the well-being, national security, and economy of Nigeria.
“Mindful of this serious challenge, as you are all aware, before coming into government, this administration specifically promised Nigerians that it will address the challenges facing our nation in the three areas of (a) Security, (b) Economy and (c) Corruption.
“As a government, and in furtherance of our anti-corruption programme, we have since inception engaged in multi-sectoral reforms on anti-corruption including the enforcement of Treasury Single Account (TSA), strict implementation of the Bank Verification Number Policy, Signing of the Open Government Partnership, and a lot of efforts have gone into building and development of our anti-corruption institutions among others.”
According to him, his administration has so far kept faith with the promise and will remain committed until Nigeria triumphs over the evil of corruption, attain a prosperous economic status and surmounts all her security challenges.
