Corruption is so bad in Nigeria that even religious leaders call me not to sack corrupt people— Osinbajo

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has underscored the depth of corruption in the country, stating that it is so deeply ingrained in the system that even religious leaders, who are supposed to be moral examples, step in to stop corrupt people from being sacked.

He said there have been times when he wanted to sack public officials who have been found to be corrupt, and he received many calls from religious and political leaders to deter him.

Speaking at 24th Nigerian Economic Summit plenary on corruption and rule of law, in Abuja on Monday, the vice-president said the Nigerian elite are often times an impediment in the fight against corruption.

Ngaire Woods, the founding dean of Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University, who moderated the plenary, asked Osinbajo to tell the summit who calls him when he wants to sack corrupt people.

Read also: EFCC records 172 convictions in 2018

In his response, Osinbajo said: “I would like to refer to the Nigerian elite, and it’s probably not fair to be that broad, but practically, every segment, because people who have access to you, they could be political leaders, religious leaders, business leaders, whoever has access to you.

“We have a system where people just feel like, ‘why don’t you just give this guy a break?’ Which again is part of the problem. You don’t get one call, you get several calls.”

The vice-president said the government is doing so much to tackle grand corruption and systemic corruption; stating that since he became vice-president, he has seen how much impact corruption can have on a country — and its more than he ever imagined.

Osinbajo said one of the most frustrating things in the fight against corruption is the slow pace of prosecution.

He, however, added that the conviction of two former governors secured by the federal government has shown that the hand of justice may be slow, but it would eventually catch up with the guilty.

The professor of law said reforms are important, and the federal government has embarked on a number of them, including the criminal justice reform, but added that the federal government cannot reform state judiciaries.

 

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