Presidency: Public officers now afraid to steal with impunity

The Presidency said the fact that civil servants and political office holders are now afraid to steal with impunity is itself a major psychological boost for the anti-corruption crusade of President Muhamadu Buhari.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said this in a statement yesterday reacting to the criticism against Buhari by a former House of Representatives member, Junaid Mohamed.

“While Dr. Junaidu Mohammed is entitled to his opinion, he is not entitled to misrepresent facts about the concrete achievements of the Buhari administration in the past two or so years, including the undeniable fact that the Boko Haram terrorists have been significantly crippled militarily, because they no longer have the capability to invade and occupy towns and villages unchallenged by the country’s reinvigorated and motivated military personnel,” Shehu said.

He said contrary to Junaidu’s claims that Buhari doesn’t acknowledge mistakes, the president quickly took responsibility and apologized over the dissolution of the Governing Councils of Federal Universities when it was discovered that due process was not followed.

He stressed that taking responsibility for mistakes is one of the finest components of integrity, and that President Buhari had never failed in demonstrating this virtue in words and deeds.

Shehu said since the coming of the Buhari administration, Nigeria had saved trillions of naira which could be diverted to private pockets if the government wasn’t committed to transparency and accountability.

“We advise Nigerians to be wary of prejudiced and biased critics like Dr. Junaidu Mohammed who are more interested in personal publicity than respecting facts and figures about their claims. If Junaidu Mohammed wants to be taken seriously, he should demonstrate the duty of speaking truthfully about those he frequently attacks in his interviews.”