Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George and Emir of Keffi, Nasarawa State, Dr. Shehu Yamusa (III) cautioned on Thursday that the nation’s hope of growth and development would be further imperiled should the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration fail in its efforts to curb impunity and corruption in the land.
The trio called for support from all to ensure that the administration succeeds in its goal of reversing the culture of impunity and outright theft of public funds by leaders, who should serve as change agents and drive the nation’s development.
They spoke at the 16th inaugural lecture of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
The lecture titled: “Good leader, good people, good nation: Corruption, constitutionalism and the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria,” was delivered by Akinseye-George, who is a lecturer in the university’s Law Faculty.
Osinbajo said the fight against corruption must interest every Nigerian who is interested in the nation’s future survival following the level culture of impunity, abuse of power and corruption had assumed in the nation’s life.
He said: “The level of impunity in the face of grand corruption that transpired in the recent past of our nation’s history is absolutely stranger than fiction.
“A situation where over $15billion meant for the procurement of security equipment to fight insurgent would disappear without a trace; where in a matter of weeks, the sum of N60bIillion and $289million in cash, could be withdrawn from the public treasury without specificity of the purpose for which such withdrawals were made.
“The dangerous consequence of corruption to any nation, irrespective of the system of governance it operates, is better imagined than experienced, especially on the poorest of the poor. It is therefore only apt that academic analysis of this impact on the overall architecture of our polity is conducted and documented for posterity.”
Represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Legal Matters, Dr. Bilkisu Seidu, the vice president drew an analogy of how a corrupt recruitment and reward academic system could endanger a nation’s future.
Assuring of the government’s commitment to the anti-graft war, Osinbajo added: “it is our commitment to bring back sanity and just governance in this country. It is a fight that we know and have seen would be difficult. But it is a fight that we must win for our survival.”
Akinseye-George, who is the first to deliver an inaugural lecture from the school’s Law Faculty, analysed the various dimensions, form and causes of corruption in the country and suggested some pragmatic ways of addressing the problem.
He advocated the involvement of all segment of the society to ensure success.
The war against corruption, Akinseye-George added, must be championed by the leaders, who must lead by example.
Yamusa, who equally called on all to support the government’s anti-corruption fight, urged political leaders to learn to exercise political powers for the benefit of the people and the society.
