EU backs Buhari’s anti-corruption war with €35 million project

in from Ali Smart . . .

The anti-corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration received a boost on Wednesday, as the European Union pledged to support the campaign with a €35 million project.

This was disclosed by the European Union delegation to Nigeria, led by Ambassador Michel Arrion.

While acknowledging the milestones recorded in the anti-graft war, Arrion said: “I think they have made very serious progress in the fight against corruption, particularly in the oil and gas sector. You have seen in the two most visible domain of corruption which is oil and military.They have cleaned those places. They have changed the security chiefs and the governance in oil sector. I think those are key things. I know also that the new change administration has created a lot of expectations, people are just counting weeks and months since the inauguration of the president. They have become inpatient but I think we must explain and insist on the fact that it takes time to re-launch the economy and you have external factors. You don’t change the direction of a big ship just like that. It takes time.

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” So the big boat called Nigeria will need time to diversify. People want to industrailise, it takes three years to build an industry. You see people are extremely impatient for electricity but it takes month and years. I know that this government is working on a lots of things and rapidly that are not visible.”

EU, he maintained, is funding projects to promote good governance, transparency and accountability in governance and combat corruption and enhance compliance with rule of law.

He added, “For support to the fight against corruption in Nigeria, a €35 million project being implemented nationwide by the UN office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), which is targeted at various anti-corruption agencies.”

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