President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Malta attributed the thriving corruption in the nation’s oil sector to the ease of transferring illicit funds abroad and the institutional protection given to corrupt officials in the past.
He urged the international community to do more to support the Federal Government’s efforts to curb corruption in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Speaking at a group meeting of Commonwealth leaders on corruption chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, President Buhari said 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.
A statement issued by his senior special assistant on media, Garba Shehu, quoted the president to have said this while addressing a gathering of leaders including those of Australia, Canada, Singapore, Malta, Sri Lanka, Botswana and Trinidad and Tobago.
“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 president said.
According to the statement, in his opening remarks at the meeting, Prime Minister Cameron said that the Commonwealth and the international community must do more to fight corruption and promote good governance.
“We care passionate 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.
“So dealing with money laundering, dealing with beneficial ownership and making sure we stop stolen money being hidden away in developed countries is absolutely vital,” the British Prime Minister said.
Also, speaking during a dinner hosted in honour of Commonwealth Heads of Government, late Friday, in Malta by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11, President Buhari called for the establishment of a Commonwealth committee to oversee the rendering of greater assistance and support to Nigeria and other member-countries adversely affected by the scourge of terrorism.
He expressed the hope that with the growing rate of extreme radicalism across the world, the committee would have been established before the next meeting of the organisation.
“We have agreed to a joint task-force for the elimination of Boko Haram, but it may not be easy, especially after the events in Libya when trained people with weapons moved back to Sahel region from where they were recruited by the former Libyan leader,” he said.
Buhari who informed the gathering of efforts by Nigeria and other members of the Lake Chad Basin to tackle the menace of Boko Haram said “those weapons and expertise in their use are now aggravating the situation in the Sahel and further south.”
He said he expects the committee to visit member-countries of the Commonwealth where terrorist organisations have established a foothold with a view to evolving practical strategies for more meaningful assistance to the affected countries.