The Action Congress of Nigeria has said the country\u2019s poor rating by Transparency International in its
2012 Corruption Perception Index has shown as an empty boast the Jonathan presidency\u2019s claim that corruption has gone down under its watch.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued in Ilorin on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party expressed serious concern at the negative impact that runaway corruption is having on the country\u2019s economy as well as the image of the country.
\u00a0
It said that if left unchecked, corruption is capable of bringing Nigeria down even ahead of the slow intensity warfare and general in security in the country.<\/p>\n
ACN said the \u201charvest of corruption scandals\u201d that have dogged the Jonathan Administration is probably unprecedented in the country\u2019s history, and that this has been attested to by the global anti-corruption body in its latest CPI.<\/p>\n
\u201cSadly, despite the presidency\u2019s self-delusion, Nigeria remains among the most corrupt nations on earth.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the latest CPI, Nigeria \u2013 Africa\u2019s most populous nation and one of the continent\u2019s biggest economies –
was not listed among the top 35 least corrupt nations in Africa, even when it is ranked the 35th most corrupt nations
in the world!
\u00a0
\u201cIt is also instructive that Liberia and Sierra Leone, which Nigeria helped to liberate from the throes of war, are now
doing much better in fighting corruption than the country (Nigeria), just like much smaller and less-endowed nations
like Niger, Gambia, Burkina Faso and Mali are better rated,\u201d the party said.<\/p>\n
It blamed Nigeria\u2019s precarious position in the global anti-corruption battle on the fact that the Jonathan Administration has
not only become corruption scandal-prone, it has also allowed impunity to thrive by paying only lip service to probing the
scandals and bringing perpetrators to book.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe massive oil subsidy scam, the Malabu oil scandal, the pension scam, and now the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company\u2019s N2.1 billion scam are just a few of the corruption scandals that have dogged the Jonathan Administration. In all of these
and more, the administration has shown an amazing lack of political will in investigating the scams and prosecuting perpetrators<\/p>\n
\u201cWorse still, key administration officials have shown from their careless comments that they either do not understand what it
means to fight corruption or they are just trivialising it. One of such is Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke, who was
quoted as saying that Nigerians are unable to get petroleum products without stress because they demanded transparency and
accountability in the oil sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the Minister is saying, in essence, is that uninterrupted fuel supply as well as probity and accountability cannot go hand in
hand, that Nigerians much choose between enjoying abundant fuel supply and a well-managed, corruption-free oil sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn saner climes and with an administration that is committed to fighting corruption, such a minister will be long gone!\u201d ACN said.<\/p>\n
The party said amidst the glaring evidence of worsening corruption in Nigeria, President Jonathan has continued to talk and act as
if the country is in fact corruption-free, wondering what was responsible for the wide gulf between the President\u2019s perception and
the reality on the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Jonathan must wake from his slumber and face the reality that corruption is fast eating deep into the soul of Nigeria, having
already decimated the body. He must stop playing the ostrich and lead the way in the fight against corruption before it consumes the
country,\u201d ACN said.<\/p>\n