Unlike in the past, there is ‘zero’ corruption in fuel subsidy under Buhari — Sagay

Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Itsey Sagay, says unlike under previous governments, the fuel subsidy regime under President Muhammadu Buhari is devoid of corruption.

Sagay also said the monies recovered from corrupt Nigerians have been ploughed back into the country’s treasury to make life better for citizens.

Sagay stated that the federal government had recovered billions from anti-corruption fight in the past four and a half years.

While fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, sagay said the intensity of the corruption fight had been increased with the expiration of the Eight Assembly. He claimed that eight assembly frustrated President Muhammadu Buhari’s government in the fight against corruption.

He said the committee recorded unprecedented progress in the fight against corruption across the country.

“They did everything they could to frustrate the (federal) government and ourselves in this fight against corruption,” he said.

“I am happy to say that the capacity of corruption to fight back has been reduced with the expiration of the life of the 8th National Assembly.

“That is where the main opposition to this government was constituted, main opposition to the fight against corruption, that was the centre.

“At that time, it did not depend on which party they belonged to, they all ganged up together against the fight against corruption and did everything they could to frustrate the government and ourselves in the this fight.”

READ ALSO: Buhari to PACAC: We’ll weed out corruption anywhere

According to him, the 9th Assembly is totally different, saying the assembly is determined to work hand in hand with the executive and PACAC.

Speaking on how the proceeds of the anti-corruption fight was being utilized, Sagay said the recovered loot was being ploughed back into the national budget every year and used for the Social Investment Programme.

“So when you hear about feeding of over 12 million school children; as when I checked last, having nutritious meal every day, you hear of poor families being supported to survive and stand on their feet or over 500,000 young people who are being trained in all sorts of skills and paid N30,000 a month by government and the interest free loans given to small scale businesses all over the country.

“It’s all part of the money, not a kobo of it is left, everything is ploughed back and I think the country should know that, it’s very unprecedented, this never happened before in the history of the country, everything is ploughed back.

“Then we have succeeded in improving the quality of prosecution by giving the anti corruption agencies lots of capacity building, train them in the manner cases should be prosecuted and how charges should be drawn.

He said judges up to the Supreme Court had also benefited from the anti-corruption training programme.

He also noted that the federal government had succeeded in blocking leakages and corrupt practices in the nation’s oil sector.

“In the area of corruption, you will be surprised if you think back that nobody talks about fuel subsidy corruption anymore. Previously we were losing almost N400 billion every year on fake fuel subsidy payments but now, it is zero.

“So generally, the tone of the country has improved. The country has gained tremendously, corruption has gone down,” he said.

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