Buhari Signs Executive Order to Freeze Graft Suspects Assets

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Friday, July 6th, 2018

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – President Muhammadu Buhari has signed an executive order to freeze assets of individuals with corruption cases.

Executive Order No. 6 of 2018 “on the Preservation of Assets connected with serious corruption and other relevant offences” was signed at a short ceremony in the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said during the event: “I am delighted to welcome you all to this very important occasion, which is another milestone in the fight against corruption- a project that is very crucial to the viability and continuous well-being of this country.

“Whilst there are many reasons why Nigeria has been struggling; regrettably, the most unfortunate cause of great disparity between Nigeria’s wealth and its poverty is endemic corruption.

“There is also a very strong link between corruption, peace and security. Unfortunately, corruption is everywhere; at all levels of government, and every stratum of our society. Without doubt, corruption constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the well-being, national security, and economy of Nigeria.

“Mindful of this serious challenge, as you are all aware, before coming into government, this Administration specifically promised Nigerians that it will address the challenges facing our nation in the three areas of: (a) Security, (b) Economy and (c) Corruption.

“As a government, and in furtherance of our anti-corruption programme, we have since inception engaged in multi-sectoral reforms on anti-corruption including the enforcement of Treasury Single Account (TSA), strict implementation of the Bank Verification Number Policy, Signing of the Open Government Partnership, and a lot of efforts have gone into building and development of our anti-corruption institutions, among others.”

“Therefore, after three years in office, it is an opportune time to further review our achievements against set goals and, where necessary, re-appraise our strategy in order to achieve our outstanding objectives.

“As this real battle continues, we still need to strengthen our policies and institutions in order to successfully fight corruption.

“We recognise that there are more grounds to cover in the war against corruption, and we are prepared to go out to possess those lands by cutting off any means that facilitates corruption and supports its growth.”