Politician and former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi has insisted that Nigerian leaders found guilty of corrupt practices must face tough sanctions, impressing the need for an end to economic wastage in the country.
Obi insisted in a statement on Tuesday to mark Monday’s International Anti-Corruption Day.
According to him, over the years, Nigeria has been burdened by corruption at all levels of government and across the different arms of government.
He said the country is grappling with a very high debt profile, occasioned by the insatiable hunger for more loans by the government.
He advised Nigerian leaders to engage in a conscience search and purge themselves of all forms of corrupt practices.
He said, “Today, the Global community marks a very important day – International Anti-Corruption Day, which holds a very important lesson for us in Nigeria, considering how our dear nation has been burdened, over the years, by a sickening level of corruption at all levels of government and across the different arms of government.
“A few days ago, I read a media report credited to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which boldly stated that corruption has brought Nigeria to its knees economically and socially, and I could not agree more.
“Corruption is, indeed, the bane of our national development. From lack of transparency in budgeting and allocation of funds to misappropriation of public funds through mindless looting and budget padding, to abuse of public office for personal gains and the many layers of contract inflation – all are different manifestations of corruption across different levels of government, not to mention the bribery, favouritism and toll-gating that go on in different offices.”
Credit: channelstv.com
