President Muhammadu Buhari revealed on Tuesday how his anti anti-corruption stance was responsible for his ouster as Nigeria’s military head of state in 1985 and also led to his incarceration for three years by the military government that succeeded him.
Buhari said his ouster was a battle he lost against Corruption as some elements within the military ranks were not favorably disposed to his anti-corruption tilt.
The was baring his mind at the commissioning of new office complex for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) where he said he is not deterred by the notion that when you fight corruption, corruption would fight back.
“My first attempt to fight corruption, corruption fought back successfully. I was removed from office and detained for three years,” he said.
He however insisted his “objective of fighting corruption remained steadfast.”
He continued, “throughout my journey in national service and since 2015, I have made a very conscious decision to pursue a vigorous fight against corruption in public life.
“Since 2015, we have made significant progress in the fight against corruption. Everyone now knows that corrupt officials will be held to account, no matter how long it takes.
“We have recovered and are still recovering trillions of naira that were stolen in the past few years by people without conscience.
“We are pursuing recoveries everywhere and are making sure that anyone who has been found culpable is made to answer for his or her crime under the law.”
The President also craved for continued collaboration of the judiciary in the fight against corruption.
“It is my hope and expectation that the judiciary, which is a critical stakeholder and partner in the war against corruption, would continue to collaborate with the Executive to bring corrupt people to book,” he said.