Breaking: President Buhari Promises To Review Cost Of Governance

Buhari To Look Into Nigeria’s Cost Of Governance

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday promised to beam the light on issues of cost of governance in the country.

Particularly, the President said his administration will take a closer look at the cost of governance with a view to weed out possible corruption that exists anywhere.

He stated this when he hosted members of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) led by its chairman, Professor Itse Sagay at the State House, Abuja.

The President appreciated members of the committee for the “major sacrifice “they’ve made in accepting the assignment to serve the country,” noting, “Some of the elite won’t trust you, and you will be alienated, no matter how close you are to them.”

Recalling experience of the past, in which assets were seized from officials who couldn’t explain how they got them, “only for those assets to be returned to them when government was changed,” President Buhari vowed that such would not recur, as he had given instructions that all forfeited assets be sold, “and the money put in the Treasury Single Account.”

“Let’s see who will now take back the money from the treasury, and give back to those people, as was done in the past,” the President added.

Professor Sagay in his remark during the visit, said Nigeria was lucky more than ever to have a person of President Buhari’s credentials as leader of government.

“We congratulate you for being a star of the anti-corruption struggle in Africa. You attach a lot of importance to the fight against corruption, and we have tried to achieve the aims you had in mind when you established PACAC,” Prof Sagay said.

Information made available to Naija News by Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity) on the parly between the President and PACAC said the committee made some recommendations to the President, in order to move the anti-corruption war many steps forward.

They include, reestablishment of the jury system for criminal cases in the country; setting up of a judicial commission on corruption in the judiciary, to be headed by retired judges under the auspices of National Judicial Council (NJC); passage of Proceeds of Crime Act by the National Assembly; the setting up of a Presidential Truth and Restitution Task Force; and a closer look at the cost of governance to weed out all vestiges of corruption.

The President promised to look into the recommendations made by PACAC.