Against the backdrop of a report by the United States that there is huge level of corruption in the country, President Goodluck Jonathan Monday reacted saying that the recent US appraisal of corruption in the country is skewed and unrealistic.
According to him, the level of graft, hitherto described by the US report as 'massive' is being overblown and does not reflect the spirited efforts being made by his administration to tackle the issue, saying "there are issues of corruption in this country but somehow it has been over amplified."
Source: ThisDay
UPDATE: US Report Is Misleading - Doyin Okupe
The United States Government through its Department of State presented its State Department’s Country Report 2012 a few days ago. The content of that report which showed that corruption and impunity are still rampant in Nigeria have been used as weapon against the Goodluck Jonathan administration by members of the opposition.
But the Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Communications, Dr. Doyin Okupe, described the US report as “crab” and claimed that it does not amount to an indictment of the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
Speaking in Lagos yesterday, Okupe said: “It is misleading! From abroad my foot. It is an all an embodiment of reports written here and it was lifted into a document in the United State and presented to Secretary of State. The impression that the report is from abroad, I am not impressed. The Secretary of State has not written anything extra ordinary. A market woman in Nigeria knows those things. I have read the report. I have studied it, and contrary to what you think, it does not indict this Federal Government at all.
“I have itemised the major areas: that though Nigeria laws provide criminal penalties for official corruption, government did not implement the law effectively; there was a wide spread perception that judges taking bribes and litigants can’t rely on the court to get impartial judgment; they cited the following cases – The N1. something trillions fuel subsidy scam, the N328 billion Police Pension scam, the N41 billon Bankole/Nafada scam. It further stated that: EFCC initiated prosecution of approximately 50 cases.
“Their grouse in the case is that investigation and trials have not produced any conviction by the end of the year 2012. How does that concern President Jonathan? The President has revitalised the place, and the organ has been prosecuting indicted people of about 50 cases. They are comparing it with the US. For instance in three days, they got the Boston bombers. We don’t do that kind of thing here. Since I was a child, I used to follow my dad to court. Land dispute can take 20, 30 or 50 years to resolve in Nigeria. It is not what to be proud of but this report is presented in a way to make it look like it indicted the Jonathan Administration. No, sir, it doesn’t.
“The other one is that judges are bribed. It is true. Not only judges, magistrates, police, everybody is bribed in this country. That didn’t start yesterday. It started way back. You cannot hang these things on President Jonathan. When we have a problem, let us face it. Scapegoat is what is killing Nigeria. You don’t need a scapegoat for every malaise in Nigeria.
“We don’t need a scapegoat. When they bombed Boston, nobody mentioned Obama. Is it possible for you to know what the President does? The inefficiencies in the Police Force is not Jonathan’s making. We agree that the buck ends on his table. And he is kicking the ball and kicking it well. Those who attacked the Emir of Kano have been arrested. Madalla have been arrested. Jonathan is not a showman and does not need to be a showman to be President. Jimmy Carter was not a showman, people have different characters. The question is: is the job being done? Then, I want to tell you that for every bombing that takes place, nine have been prevented.”
Source: Pointblank News
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