Buhari again; "Past administrations’ impunity, cause of oil sector corruption"

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has told the international community that the impunity of previous governments is to blame for the corruption in the Nigerian oil sector.

He pointed out that corruption in the oil sector and outright theft of Nigeria’s crude oil had been exacerbated by the culture of impunity which reigned under previous administrations.

The president has, therefore, appealed to the developed world to help the country to tackle the menace by not providing haven for proceeds from such acts of corruption. 

Speaking at a group meeting of Commonwealth leaders on corruption chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, President Buhari maintained that corruption in the sector had also thrived because of the ease of transferring illicit funds abroad and the institutional protection given to corrupt officials in the past.

According to him, “now that we have the political will to stop impunity, we need the cooperation and assistance of the international community. We must all work together to compel multinational oil companies, international financial institutions and international shipping lines to stop aiding and abetting corruption in the oil sector in Nigeria.”
The gathering included the leaders of Australia, Canada, Singapore, Malta, Sri Lanka, Botswana and Trinidad and Tobago.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Cameron said that the Commonwealth and the international community must do more to fight corrupt and promote good governance.

He added: “We care passionately about this issue of fighting corruption. In my view, this issue needs to have a much higher billing on the international agenda, not just because fighting corruption is right in itself, but because all the other things we want to achieve as countries and members of the Commonwealth depend on our success in doing so.

“If we want fair economic growth, we need to reject corruption. If we want to see fair and sustainable development, we need to deal with corruption. I think this is an absolutely vital issue. It is an issue for all of us because so much of the money stolen from developing countries is hidden in developed countries.