Lai to TI: Nigeria has never been more transparent… we need your support

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says the country is more transparent under President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement on Saturday, Segun Adeyemi, media aide to Mohammed, quoted the minister as saying this when he received Delia Ferreira Rubio, chairperson of Transparency International (TI), at his office on Friday.

The minister said TI has not offered the necessary support to the government. A recent report by TI said corruption was getting worse in the country.

“Nigeria has never had a more transparent, more accountable government than the Buhari administration,” the minister said.

“As a policy, this government is the most committed to fighting corruption. We need your support in the area of advocacy and capacity building. They look at the actions of an aberrant few to condemn the government.”

Mohammed said when the government disclosed that 55 people stole N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013 and the time it published the looters’ list, the civil society “was busy parroting the cliche that the allegations were one-sided, instead of supporting the government’s action”.

Citing the ‘Change Begins With Me’ programme, he said the government is not only fighting corruption with laws but also with education and “inclusiveness in government”.

Mohammed said the country is succeeding in its anti-corruption war because the fight is led by a president whose integrity is beyond reproach.

He alleged that corrupt persons are using looted funds to mount a campaign against the administration, especially in the social media, because they know that the reelection of Buhari would spell doom for them.

On her part, Rubio said she decided to visit Nigeria because the country could set the pace for the fight against corruption on the continent.

She said while the government is doing a lot to fight corruption, it should ensure there is transparency and more efficiency in service delivery.

”We are not an opposition anywhere in the world. We are just an NGO working in over 100 countries of the world. We are not enemies. We are here to help,” she said.