Buhari has become so popular in international circles, says French envoy

The anti-corruption agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has earned him popularity among the international community, Denis Guaer, ambassador of France to Nigeria, has said.

Speaking with NAN in Abuja, Guaer said the determination of Buhari to fight corruption is “historical and commendable”.

“Buhari presented the fight against corruption as his main priority objective and I think it is probably the main reason why he was elected,” he said.

“It is also the reason why he has become immediately so popular also abroad within the international community.

“Everybody is thinking this president is really willing this time to confront the problem of corruption.

“I think Buhari is really trying and trying very hard; it appears to me as a historical effort to fight corruption.”

Guaer also decried the humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram insurgency in the north-eastern part of the country, saying the insurgency was partly due to corruption.

“This brings us back to the question of corruption also. In the whole northern part of Nigeria, public services are in a very bad shape,” he said.

“Education and healthcare are in very bad shape and this is a problem of governance; resources have to be rededicated to restore public services in the whole northern Nigeria.

“That is difficult now because unfortunately the revenues of Nigeria are down because of the oil price and destruction of oil pipelines.”

He expressed concerns about reports that people were starving in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, saying the whole international community must come to the aid of Nigeria.

“Concerning France, we are financing some humanitarian aid programmes with the International Organisation of Migration, International Committee of the Red Cross, Action Against Hunger and Doctors Without Borders,” he said.

“So we are bringing in some humanitarian aids bilaterally directly and also through the European Union.

“The main aid goes through the European Union, which is the main financier internationally for humanitarian aid.”