…Says “We Must Fight Corruption to Move Forward
President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is in government purely for
the Nigerian people and is always open to talk and dialogue, according to
Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
“We are here for the people, if not for the people, we will not be here.
We got here by the grace of God and the votes of the man on the street who
felt it’s time for change,” the Vice President told a delegation of the
Trade Union Congress who visited him today at the Presidential Villa in
Abuja.
He said it is important to the Buhari presidency to talk and dialogue,
“even if we disagree, we must still talk. The reason is that the
government itself is the government of the people.”
Prof. Osinbajo stated that “no body is in government by inheritance”,
adding “we are here today because the people chose us and that is the
reason we must be prepared to listen to issues that concern Nigerians.”
Emphasizing that the president and himself are always ready and available
to engage with the Nigerian people, Prof. Osinbajo explained that
government has set out a number of initiatives to better the lot of
ordinary Nigerians including the six social investment programs for which
a sum of N500B has been allocated in the 2016 budget.
The Vice President discussed issues including the new electricity tariffs,
minimum wage among others with the delegation, and promised that
government will remain engaged. “We will take a look at all the issue
carefully,” he told the delegation.
He recalled that the Buhari administration packaged a bailout for workers
last year and added that no government, especially the Buhari
administration will want to punish the people. “We are here for the people
and we want to identify with the people,” he added.
On the new tariff, the Vice President urged the union to not just condemn
- “We are open to your suggestions, but it is not enough to say it is a
wicked tariff. We must answer the question how,” referring to the
challenge of compensating the electricity value-chain.
Prof. Osinbajo enjoined all Nigerians to support government in the fight
against corruption, adding that “if you don’t fight corruption, you cannot
even deal with the economy, you need to hold corrupt people accountable
because they stole the money meant for the economy”.
Commenting on the extent of damage that the corruption of past government
caused, he observed that “our sense of outrage is nowhere near what has
happened. Some people are even arguing why are we going after the looters,
that we should concentrate on the economy. But if we don’t fight
corruption, we can’t deal with the economy effectively.”
According to him, “what has happened in this country is criminal,” noting
that the government won’t listen to those who says “we should just go on,”
without holding corrupt people accountable.
Earlier, the President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Comrade
Bobboi Bala Kaigama, said the purpose of the visit was to avail the
Congress the opportunity to parley with the Vice President on some
pertinent issues affecting the nation, especially those that related with
the working class of Nigerians.
The TUC also expressed support for the Buhari administration’s
zero-tolerance for corruption. According to Kaigama, “Nigerian workers are
solidly behind you in the fight against corruption, we are ready to come
out in solidarity and show our support.”
Also today, Vice President Osinbajo, received in his office, the Danish
Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Kristian Jensen accompanied by the
Ambassador of Denmark to Nigeria, Mr. Torben A. Gettermann and other
Danish embassy officials. He commended the collaboration between Nigeria
and Denmark at several levels.
The Vice President also commended the re-opening of the Danish Embassy in
Abuja and Consulate in Lagos, noting that it indicates a strong
cooperation between both countries.
Earlier, the Danish Foreign Minister, Kristian Jensen, commended the
Federal Government’s effort in fighting the Boko Haram insurgency and the
planning for the resettlement of the displaced people. He said his
country would like to strengthen its relationship with Nigeria being a
voice in the ECOWAS region and in the continent.
In another meeting today, Vice President Osinbajo expressed Federal
Government’s commitment to tackle the decline in the education sector. He
stated this when he received a delegation of the Afenifere Renewal group
led by Hon. Olawale Oshun, who lamented recent poor performance in
education across the country and especially in the South-West. He also
urged the Federal Government to review the existing educational policy and
called for devolution of powers towards achieving true federalism in the
country.