President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday stressed that any government official found guilty of corruption would be dismissed, and also made to face the full wrath of the law.
The President spoke at a meeting with a delegation of the Yoruba Council of Elders, led by Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo, in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Reacting to concerns raised by the YCE, Jonathan said the major concern of his administration was how to do things differently.
He said, “My main concern is how do we do things differently, that is why we are working and we have constituted the Economic Team and we are coming out with different things even in the ministries because we must do things differently.”
He identified corruption in public establishments as one of the issues that must be addressed by his government.
The President said drastic steps would be taken to stop corruption in the ministries, departments and agencies of the government.
He said, “Corrupt practices must stop.
“There must be drastic changes, we must stop these (corrupt practices).
“Three months is a long period but considering that our ministers and the people coming are new and it will take us more than a month to even get the ministers on the ground, but now I think we have them in place and we are now going to look at the ministries and see that those things that drag us back, those things that give this country bad name, are addressed.
“Now there appears not to be punishment, there must be punishments, there must be admonitions for those not doing things properly and there will be reward to appreciate those who are doing things well.
He used the situation in the Niger Delta Development Commission to illustrate his approach to issues concerning corruption.
Jonathan said he had received reports of corruption in the NDDC, as well as recommendations to him to sanction the Commission.
He said, “Because of what is happening there, there are too many complaints about the NDDC.
“Some people said I should dissolve NDDC and I said ‘no’, as the NDDC is made up of workers and management staff.”
By Ihuoma Chiedozie Courtesy Of: Punch
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