Ordinary Nigerians Not Among Those Saying ‘Bring Back Corruption’ - Osinbajo

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has observed that some Nigerians do not want the fight against corruption to continue, but pointed out that the ordinary Nigerian is not among those who want corruption to be allowed to thrive in the body polity.

The Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, had disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari is resolute in his anti-corruption fight, stressing that the President will go after anyone involved in corrupt practice. He stated that Buhari had made pronouncements that set the tone for anti-corruption agencies to go after anyone who had questions to answer, including members of his cabinet.

There had been posts in the social media suggesting that some Nigerians want corrupt practices to go on unchecked in the country, noting that under previous administrations, said to have been enmeshed in corruption, things were not as difficult for the masses as it is presently. Such posts are mostly tagged to aim at bringing back corruption.


Speaking while receiving a delegation of the University of Lagos Alumni Association, who paid him a courtesy call at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday, Osinbajo said: “We’ve watched corruption fighting back. Some people even said bring back corruption, but not the man on the street.”

He harped on the need for Nigerians to insist that the problem of corruption be dealt with., saying that it is necessary to right the harm that has befallen the nation’s economy.

The Vice President, who observed that the nation had witnessed excessive corruption, added that “no economy can tolerate the level of corruption seen in Nigeria without consequences. Look at the North-East, while a war is going, Nigerian lives being lost, some local governments being taken over, yet people cannot account for $15 billion meant for purchases of security equipment.

“The corruption has been so much. Look at the sheer amount of money stolen and decisions taken that fuel corruption, decisions taken just with the sole aim of cornering national resources.”


While explaining the present administration’s approach to the fight against corruption, Osinbajo noted that, “we are not sitting down focussing on it, all we do is to empower the relevant agencies – EFCC and co – to do their jobs. Our main focus is the national economy.”

He asserted, “What catches our attention is the kind of discoveries we get and hear of daily.”