Jogn paul Molokwu
President Muhammadu Buhari has told the US Secretary of State, Mr.
John Kerry, that the anti-corruption crusade of his administration has
been made tougher by the vigorous fightback by corrupt people in the
country. He, however, assured that the battle would be won.
This was made known in a State House Statement issued on Thursday. by
Mr. Femi Adesina, Presidential Adviser on Media and Publicity, the
statement said President Buhari and Mr. Kerry spoke on Wednesday, on
the margins of the conference on climate change, COP22, in Marrakech,
Morocco. President Buhari said corrupt people have accumulated a vast
arsenal of illicit wealth, which they are deploying against the
government on various fronts.
“But it is a war we are determined to win, and which we will win.
People of goodwill are behind us, countries like America and many
others are with us, and we will surely win,” the statement quoted the
President as saying.
President Buhari also updated Mr. Kerry on the counter-insurgency war
in the Northeastern part of the country, saying that efforts being
made to tackle humanitarian problems caused by the insurgency. Part of
these efforts, explained the President, is the setting up of a
presidential committee .
On resumption of violence in the Niger Delta region, which manifests
in the sabotage of critical oil and power installations, President
Buhari said the engagement process is proceeding speedily, but that
the government is having difficulty bringing the main protagonists of
the insurgency under one umbrella.
He expressed Nigeria’s satisfaction with American support on different
fronts and assured that the economic challenges the country is
currently facing are being frontally tackled, adding that the country
will soon come out of the woods.
The US Secretary of State expressed delight at the many successes of
the Buhari administration, pledging continued U.S support in the bid
to overcome security, humanitarian, political, and economic
challenges.
As the Barrack Obama administration exits next January, Mr. Kerry said
he would love to continue engaging with Nigeria, even in a private
capacity. He described President Buhari as a strong international
partner in the battle against violent extremism.
