NIGERIANS were told yesterday that indicted
marketers in the multi-trillion naira fuel subsidy fraud would not go
unpunished.
Speaking in Abuja at the launch of a book written by Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, President Goodluck Jonathan vowed that the Federal Government would recover all stolen funds from them.
The Chairman of a Special Task Force set up by the Federal Government to uncover the rot in the oil sector, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, will submit his report to the President on Friday.
The President also warned that corrupt public officials and fraudsters in the country would not be spared as culprits would be severely punished to serve as a deterrence to others.
Jonathan, who gave the assurances at the public presentation of the book entitled “Reforming the Un-reformable”, said that the Federal Government would take all necessary legal steps to recover all stolen funds from those who defrauded the country in the Petroleum Subsidy Scheme.
Represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, Jonathan said his administration was committed to various sectoral reforms aimed at creating jobs for unemployed youths.
“Let me assure you that my administration is not only committed to reform, we are indeed building on some of the reform measures initiated by my predecessors. On the governance front, we are going after those who commit various economic crimes and corrupt practices with impunity.
“As you may be aware, government is taking every legal measure to ensure that those who defrauded the government in the petroleum subsidy scheme are made to pay back the stolen funds and also severely punished.”
The President added, “In the past, there was a lot of cynicism about Nigeria. Many people claimed that the political and public institutions in this country could not be reformed. It clearly argued convincingly that gradually, Nigeria is undergoing reform”.
Speaking at the ceremony, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Ayaoku declared that the desired rapid development and stability of the Nigeria would be difficult to achieve without true federalism or regional autonomy.
Anyaoku thus pushed for major restructuring of the nation’s present political arrangement as a way of ensuring the desired development.
The former Scribe of Commonwealth noted that the current structure of 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory is “administratively too expensive”, with huge recurrent expenditure and leaving only a meagre percentage for the needed capital development.
He advised that the on-going constitutional review should form a basis for returning Nigeria to true federalism.
His words, “I believe that we must return to true federalism if we are to achieve stability and the level of development that we aspire to. We can achieve all these with the current effort to review the 1999 constitution”.
“It is my view that the country’s chances of re-living its development opportunities will be greatly enhanced if it does a major restructuring of its political architecture. Without doing so one can’t reduce the recurrent expenditure.
“When you look around, especially among developing countries, you will discover that their recurrent expenditure is far less than their capital.
“In Nigeria, what we have been spending on recurrent leaves us with too little for capital development which we need.
“The existing structure of 36 states and federal capital territory with all the paraphernalia and institutions of administration, as long as we continue with that, we are not likely to achieve the level of reduction of cost of administration that will enable us to develop as we ought to”, the former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth posited.
Chief Anyaoku made case for stronger Regions as was the case in the pre-independence era.
He pointedly stated that the inordinate struggle for power at the centre has been mainly responsible for the ethno-religious violence that has engulfed the nation.
“We have become accustomed to the notion and practice of sharing the national cake from the centre.
“It is this destructive control of power at the centre that exacerbates the primordial instinct in our people and also fans religious and ethnic differences with the result that rather than being a source of strength, our pluralism has become a harbinger for discrimination and disunity”, he said.
In her comments, the author, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala explained that her decision to write the book was aimed at giving hope to Nigerians on her conviction that Nigeria can be returned to the path of greatness and that all that is required is commitment of the people and political will on the part of leaders.
According to her, fighting corruption is a tough battle because, “when you fight corruption, corruption fights you back” but encouraged Nigerians never to give up the fight against corruption, as according to her, “corruption will never win”.
She added that she did not write the book to make money but to share her experiences with Nigerians and the global community on necessary reforms decisions and actions needed to turn-around the economy for the better.
Speaking in Abuja at the launch of a book written by Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, President Goodluck Jonathan vowed that the Federal Government would recover all stolen funds from them.
The Chairman of a Special Task Force set up by the Federal Government to uncover the rot in the oil sector, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, will submit his report to the President on Friday.
The President also warned that corrupt public officials and fraudsters in the country would not be spared as culprits would be severely punished to serve as a deterrence to others.
Jonathan, who gave the assurances at the public presentation of the book entitled “Reforming the Un-reformable”, said that the Federal Government would take all necessary legal steps to recover all stolen funds from those who defrauded the country in the Petroleum Subsidy Scheme.
Represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, Jonathan said his administration was committed to various sectoral reforms aimed at creating jobs for unemployed youths.
“Let me assure you that my administration is not only committed to reform, we are indeed building on some of the reform measures initiated by my predecessors. On the governance front, we are going after those who commit various economic crimes and corrupt practices with impunity.
“As you may be aware, government is taking every legal measure to ensure that those who defrauded the government in the petroleum subsidy scheme are made to pay back the stolen funds and also severely punished.”
The President added, “In the past, there was a lot of cynicism about Nigeria. Many people claimed that the political and public institutions in this country could not be reformed. It clearly argued convincingly that gradually, Nigeria is undergoing reform”.
Speaking at the ceremony, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Ayaoku declared that the desired rapid development and stability of the Nigeria would be difficult to achieve without true federalism or regional autonomy.
Anyaoku thus pushed for major restructuring of the nation’s present political arrangement as a way of ensuring the desired development.
The former Scribe of Commonwealth noted that the current structure of 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory is “administratively too expensive”, with huge recurrent expenditure and leaving only a meagre percentage for the needed capital development.
He advised that the on-going constitutional review should form a basis for returning Nigeria to true federalism.
His words, “I believe that we must return to true federalism if we are to achieve stability and the level of development that we aspire to. We can achieve all these with the current effort to review the 1999 constitution”.
“It is my view that the country’s chances of re-living its development opportunities will be greatly enhanced if it does a major restructuring of its political architecture. Without doing so one can’t reduce the recurrent expenditure.
“When you look around, especially among developing countries, you will discover that their recurrent expenditure is far less than their capital.
“In Nigeria, what we have been spending on recurrent leaves us with too little for capital development which we need.
“The existing structure of 36 states and federal capital territory with all the paraphernalia and institutions of administration, as long as we continue with that, we are not likely to achieve the level of reduction of cost of administration that will enable us to develop as we ought to”, the former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth posited.
Chief Anyaoku made case for stronger Regions as was the case in the pre-independence era.
He pointedly stated that the inordinate struggle for power at the centre has been mainly responsible for the ethno-religious violence that has engulfed the nation.
“We have become accustomed to the notion and practice of sharing the national cake from the centre.
“It is this destructive control of power at the centre that exacerbates the primordial instinct in our people and also fans religious and ethnic differences with the result that rather than being a source of strength, our pluralism has become a harbinger for discrimination and disunity”, he said.
In her comments, the author, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala explained that her decision to write the book was aimed at giving hope to Nigerians on her conviction that Nigeria can be returned to the path of greatness and that all that is required is commitment of the people and political will on the part of leaders.
According to her, fighting corruption is a tough battle because, “when you fight corruption, corruption fights you back” but encouraged Nigerians never to give up the fight against corruption, as according to her, “corruption will never win”.
She added that she did not write the book to make money but to share her experiences with Nigerians and the global community on necessary reforms decisions and actions needed to turn-around the economy for the better.
The Compass
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