{"id":8257,"date":"2018-03-04T16:25:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-04T23:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nigerianews.ca\/?post_type=news&p=8257"},"modified":"2018-03-04T17:30:21","modified_gmt":"2018-03-05T00:30:21","slug":"interview-see-details-of-osinbajo-discussions-with-social-media-practitioners","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/nigerianews.ca\/news\/interview-see-details-of-osinbajo-discussions-with-social-media-practitioners\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW: See Details Of Osinbajo discussions with social media practitioners on diverse issues…"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Osinbajo confesses: “If I, President Buhari visited Dapchi, Benue, others, \u201cit would be so much better\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Find below the transcript of the interview\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Excerpt:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Q: On Nigeria\u2019s rating by Transparency International\u2019s Corruption Perception Index.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Vice President:\u00a0<\/strong>I think that by even Transparency International\u2019s own assessment, Transparency International uses nine different indexes to come to a conclusion. In four out of those indexes, Nigeria moved up, in another four Nigeria stabilised & dropped in only one index. So in aggregation, it (T.I) then decides that it has fallen in certain number of points below where we were.<\/p>\n

I think the important thing to bear in mind about Nigeria\u2019s anti-corruption fight is that the government has done what it ought to do by focusing on grand corruption. Grand corruption is the type we experienced years before when, for example, $15 billion was lost in defence contract. Two, three weeks to election, N100 billion in cash was taken out, and again $293 million in cash, two weeks, three weeks to election. That\u2019s the kind of impunity. And of course you are also familiar with the scam that went on in the NNPC at the time; the so called statutory contracts, that\u2019s grand corruption. That is the corruption that crippled the economy of the country.<\/p>\n

Let me tell you very quickly how you can recognize that we have scaled a good deal on grand corruption today: despite the fact that we are earning 60 per cent less in revenue, we are actually able to spend more than ever before in the history of this country on infrastructure. In 2017, we spent about N1.3 trillion on capital. That\u2019s the highest in the history of the country. So we are able to do far more with far less because we have controlled the impunity that went on, the grand corruption, and all of that.<\/p>\n

Now, how does that translate to perception; because grand corruption is a big aspect of corruption. It\u2019s a big one because if you cannot control grand corruption, you can\u2019t do what you want to do. But then you cannot address the corruption as you go through our airports, our ports or as you go through government offices, in many cases. That\u2019s where the whole perception emerges.<\/p>\n

We must have a deeper and much wider way of dealing with corruption. How are you going to do that? You must have an efficient way of doing that; like automation, removing discretion from individuals.<\/p>\n

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File photo of President Muhammadu Buhari Chats with Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo during the Party’ 4th National Caucus Meeting held Monday night at the Presidential Villa Abuja. PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE. FEB 26 2018<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Q: What is the institutionalised process of fighting corruption?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Vice President:<\/strong>\u00a0Institutionalisation is not a one-off thing, it\u2019s a process, and we are dealing with that, that\u2019s exactly what we are doing. For example, the TSA and being able to look at government accounts and all of that is one way of institutionalising a process by which you can be sure of what people are doing, how this things are happening. The process of allowing the EFCC to do its work without dictation, saying that \u201clook, this what the EFCC is doing\u201d, and giving them every support that you can. These are ways of institutionalising. And it is that same process that we are taking in the public service \u2013 Automation.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For example, look at all that we have done in the ease of doing business. The whole point of doing that is institutionalising processes, so that when you come into Nigeria you can get your visa after applying online; so that Customs don\u2019t have to sit around the airport, that is why we are putting in the I-check and we are putting all sorts of other processes. That is to institutionalise; it\u2019s not a one-off process.<\/p>\n

Q: What\u2019s the national strategy on anti-corruption?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Vice President:<\/strong>\u00a0That\u2019s a long conversation, but put simply, the national strategy is to ensure that public officers in particular are not able to privatize public finances. And how do we intend to achieve that? We intend to achieve that by ensuring that there is consequence for corruption and also by automating processes, removing discretion from individuals because if you don\u2019t remove discretion from individuals the individuals can have discretion as whether or not they will grant certain approvals through certain processes; then you continue to encourage corruption at one level or the other.<\/p>\n