The African Anti-Corruption Year 2018 has been launched by Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari at the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
President Buhari, who spoke in Addis Ababa at the weekend, did not mince words, “Corruption is indeed one of the greatest evils of our time. Corruption rewards those who do not play by the rules and also creates a system of distortion and diversion thereby destroying all efforts at constructive, just and fair governance”.
The theme of the 30th summit of the African Union, AU, is “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.” The Nigerian leader, who was named the Chairman of the campaign, thanked his African colleagues for entrusting him with such a noble responsibility. He pledged to do his best “to ensure that the anti-corruption agenda will receive the attention it deserves and make the impact we all hope for, during 2018 and beyond.”
The President, who noted that Africa has made some significant strides in enacting legal and policy frameworks such as the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) to address the vice, said the desired impact had been lacking.
According to President Buhari, in spite of sustained economic growth on the continent for the past two decades, “public confidence has been eroded by a focus on short-term priorities and payoffs, propelled by corruption, which too often leaves projects uncompleted and promises unfulfilled.”
He identified other negative effects of corruption as, posing a real threat to national security; eroding the development of a universal culture of good governance, democratic values, gender equality, human rights, justice and the rule of law.
In tackling bribery and corruption, the Nigerian leader said the crucial place of strong institutions could not be over-emphasised. “A Judiciary which stands firm against arbitrariness and injustice by the executive is a vital pillar in the anti-corruption fight. As leaders, we must build synergy between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial arms of government in order to entrench good governance, transparency and accountability.
