Obasanjo not pleased with Unsuccessful Prosecution of High-profile Corruption Cases in Nigeria

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday expressed his displeasure of the unsuccessful prosecution of high-profile corruption cases in Nigeria while delivering the inauguration lecture of the Olusegun Obasanjo Good Governance and Development Research Centre, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja.

The title of the lecture is “Leadership, Governance and the Challenges of Development in Nigeria: The Way Forward.’’ He said that in spite of the efforts by successive governments, corruption still posed a daunting challenge to the progress and development of Nigeria.

The lack of successful prosecution of high-profile corruption cases involving Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) is giving serious course for concern, both for Nigerians and the international community. We must take away the proceeds of illicit enrichment and remove negative role models in our society. I know that each arm of government has its responsibility and we must respect the separation of powers under our constitution. At the same time, we must have an acute and common perception of our problem and do all that is necessary to mitigate the impact of corruption in our society.’’

According to him, he said that the aim of fighting corruption was to correct certain wrong doings. He added that there was a need to strengthen institutions saddled with the responsibility of ensuring transparency and accountability in governance.

NOUN’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdalla Adamu, said that the institution was concerned about solving the problem of leadership and good governance in Nigeria, which informed the establishment of the centre.

Adamu said that the center was named after Obasanjo because he was a success story in democratic governance in Africa.He added that he resuscitated the institution in 2003, after it was abandoned in 1984 and as a result decided to immortalize him.

Adamu added that Obasanjo was one of the few presidents in Africa that went back to school after leaving office.

The Chairman of the occasion and former Ghanaian President, John Mahama, said it was imperative for Nigerians to get its leadership right in order to lead Africa to greatness.

The Chairlady of the Occasion and former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloma Mukhtar, urged NOUN to ensure that the good governance centre lived up to expectations.