Amaechi: Buhari won’t spare anyone, even his cabinet members, found to be corrupt

Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, says President Muhammadu Buhari will not spare anyone involved in acts of corruption.

He said Buhari had made pronouncements that set the tone for anti-corruption agencies to go after anyone who has questions to answer, including members of his cabinet.

Amaechi said before the president was elected, he did not leave anyone in doubt that the fight against corruption would not only be taken seriously but would form a cardinal plank of his policy direction.

The minister said this on Monday while delivering a keynote speech at Cambridge University.

“As someone who has been in active politics for more than 30 years, I have learnt that many well-intended reforms are possible only if the leader can offer the requisite leadership and muster the right political will,” he said.

“In my country, since our President, Muhammadu Buhari was elected, he did not leave anyone in doubt that the fight against corruption will not only be taken seriously but will form a cardinal plank of his policy direction.

“So far, he has made several pronouncements that set the tone of his commitment to strengthening anti-corruption agencies to go after anyone who has questions to answer. The president’s resolve was enough to signal all of us, members of his cabinet and the citizenry, that an end has come for the old ways of doing things.

“Currently, many people who have been indicted in one form of corrupt practice or another are being prosecuted in our courts. That, I believe is the way to show leadership and take responsibility.

“Our president has stopped at nothing to demonstrate that whosoever is caught in corruption related crimes will not be spared.”

He challenged leaders to practise what they preach, emphasising the need for them to take responsibility when economic crime or corruption happens.

“They should be held accountable. Leadership is expected to do three simple things, perhaps four: upholding the primacy of leadership and political will, insisting on the force of example, enforcing the urgency of incentives and the necessity of sanctions and finally by leveraging on the power of partnership,” he said.

“Another important factor is what I refer to as the force of example. There is very little any leader can achieve if he talks the right political talk without offering personal examples.

“In these days of internet and social media revolution, citizens often spend time to scrutinize the reputation and activities of any leader to find out if they are consistent with what he or she stands for in the media. Essentially leaders must practise what they preach if they expect to be taken seriously both by those within their organisations, state or country.”