Buhari to address UN General Assembly September 20 ...As Nigeria finally gets OGP endorsement as member nation

President Muhammadu Buhari has been invited to speak at the 5th-anniversary event of the Open Government Partnership at the United Nations General Assembly on September 20, 2016.

A press release emanating from the Office of the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and made available to newsmen in Abuja Friday indicated that President Buhari would deliver a speech at the event against the backdrop of the nation’s enlistment as a member country of the partnership.

The Special Adviser, Comrade Salihu Othman Isah hinted that the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN made this known at the Meeting of Stakeholders on the Implementation of the Outcome of the London Summit on Anti-Corruption and the Open Government Partnership held on Thursday, July 28, 2016 in Abuja.

“This is an exciting moment for Nigeria as we seek to put back our country on the spotlight by engaging with the public and the society on transparent, accountable and participatory governance”, Isah quoted AGF as saying.

He said Malami observed that, “The foregoing establishes the fact that Nigeria has always appreciated the importance of Open Government as a means of ensuring transparency and accountability in the conduct of government business.”

The Minister explained that ‘’it is the current administration’s position that commitment to the promotion of Open Government in Nigeria would resonate strongly with the message of change that the new administration represent.”

An elated Malami told the gathering that the Federal Government of Nigeria’s effort to curb corruption received a boost as it received confirmation as the latest participating member nation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP).

He said that the letter confirming Nigeria’s membership has finally been received through the OGP Secretariat and signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Sanjay Pradhan indicating that all the OGP Steering Committee members have confirmed Nigeria as a participating member country.

‘’The OGP Secretariat has also extended their support to the government of Nigeria and has invited His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari to speak at the 5th Anniversary event at the United Nations General Assembly on September 20, 2016’’, he re-emphasized.

The Chief Law Officer reiterated the facts that fighting corruption is one of the pillars of Buhari administration’s policy.

He therefore expressed satisfaction at efforts made by the Nigerian government to develop sustainable anti-corruption policies, stressing that since assuming office, every effort had been made to build on and expand on what was initiated by the previous governments.

Malami further pointed out that one of the key priorities is the need to recover stolen funds and pay back to the Nigerian society what they have lost to corruption.

The media spokesman to the AGF furthermore quoted his principal saying that during the London Anti-Corruption Summit, President Muhammadu Buhari presented a country statement on actions that would be implemented by the Government of Nigeria on Anti- corruption reforms.

He revealed that the main objectives of the London Summit were to tackle corruption from three key areas, by Exposing Corruption, Punish the Corrupt and Support the Victims who have suffered from Corruption and lastly to drive out the Culture of Corruption wherever it exits.

The Stakeholders’ Forum is aimed at bringing together the public and private sector as well as civil society organisations to work with the Federal Ministry of Justice (FMOJ) in ensuring that the President’s commitments are turned into actionable plans.

‘’OGP also provides a policy making platform that brings together government and more effective and credible through greater openness. The importance of full disclosure, transparency and accountability in the conduct of government business cannot be over-emphasized in Nigeria. For example, the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 (FOICT) was enacted to achieve openness in the conduct of government business.’’

In his remarks, the Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi gave assurance of his support and commitment to Open Government Partnership. He added that he is open to its effective implementation, a reason he personally graced the occasion.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed emphasised that the present administration is committed to the implementation of the approved monitoring and evaluation framework of the budget preparation and working towards making sure the budget is open.

She also hoped the Anti-Money Laundering Bill before the National Assembly will be passed, pledging her support to any initiative of the government towards this effort.

In his remark on behalf of development partners, the Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission, Mr. Simon Shercliff, said the British Prime Minister is delighted with President Buhari’s valuable contributions during the London Anti- Corruption Summit.

Shercliff observed that corruption is a cancer in many countries of the world; therefore advising that, there is need for the government to work together towards 2030 agenda to reduce bribery and corruption.

How I Increase My Blokos Size & Stopped Premature Ejaculation Issues That Scattered My Relationship For 2years.. Click HERE for Details

Fight Against Corruption: Nigeria Expresses Intention To Join Open Government Partnership

Nigeria has signified its intention to be enlisted as the latest member nation of the Open Government Partnership, a global coalition in the fight against corruption.

Its intention became official yesterday through a letter to the OGP steering committee titled, ‘Letter of Intention to Join the Open Government Partnership’ signed by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN dated 20th June, 2016.

This was made known through a press release issued Monday by Comrade Salihu Othman Isah, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and made available to newsmen.

How I Increase My Blokos Size & Stopped Premature Ejaculation Issues That Scattered My Relationship For 2years.. Click HERE for Details

The media aide disclosed that the letter was addressed jointly to Ayanda Dlodlo, Deputy Minister for Public Service Administration, Jean-Vincent Place, Secretary of State for State Reform and Simplification, Government of France, Alejandro Gonzalez Arreola, Executive Director, GESCO, Gestion Socialy Cooperacion A.C. and Manish Bapna, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, World Resource Institute.  

Isah quoted the Minister as stating in his correspondence to OGP that, “I am honoured to submit this letter of intent to the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee on behalf of the Government of Nigeria and to express Nigeria’s commitment to join the Partnership.

“As you are aware, Nigeria meets the eligibility criteria set out by the OGP and the government of Nigeria is strongly committed to the principles of Open Government. 

“By joining OGP, the government of Nigeria commits to transparency and accountability in the management of public office. We believe that the OGP membership will enhance innovation, economic development and accelerate the transformation of our public service”, Malami stressed.

The Attorney General of the Federation also revealed that, “It is important to note that Nigeria is already participating actively in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) process and implementing the EITI Standards.”

He further emphasized that, “Nigeria has also enacted the Public Procurement Act and the Fiscal Responsibility Act with a view to enhancing transparency in public contracting, public procurement as well as the management of public finance.

“Nigeria has also improved access to information through the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act and the Code of Conduct Bureau Act. The requirement for the disclosure of assets by public officials is embedded in the Constitution and all public officers are required to declare their assets every four years.

“Against the background, Nigeria is committed to working with you and other countries within the OGP framework to implement the OGP initiatives with major focus on accountability of government institutions, enhancing freedom of information and corporate ownership transparency, particularly in the extractive industry”. the letter concluded

To recall, since OGP was launch in 2011, its membership has grown from eight to 69 countries; and that currently, only eight are from the Africa continent namely, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Tunisia. 

With this letter, Nigeria intends to become the ninth African nation to join the coalition with the intention that it would aid the anti-graft war.

It would also be recalled that the Minister first made public the nation’s wish to enlist in the OGP as revealed in his keynote address at the Nigeria Anti-corruption Summit held in Abuja on 5th May, 2016.

He had disclosed that “amongst other commitments, we may likely see Nigeria joining the Open Government Partnership in the coming days. Joining the OGP will help Nigeria improve transparency in the management of natural resources, and public funds as well as citizen participation in governance.”

Corruption Fight: FG Committed To Open Government Partnership - FG

In its determined step to nip corruption in the bud, Nigeria is making concerted effort to enlist as the ninth African nation to join the globally recognised coalition, Open Government Partnership to fight the dreaded scourge.

The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN revealed this in a keynote address he delivered at the Nigeria Anti-corruption Summit held in Abuja on Thursday.

This is contained in a statement issued by Comrade Salihu Othman Isah, the spokesman to the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and made available to the media.

Isah quoted the Minister who was represented at the summit by his Special Assistant on Research and Special Projects, Mr. Sylvester Imhanobe, that; “amongst other commitments, we may likely see Nigeria joining the Open Government Partnership in the coming days. Joining the OGP will help Nigeria improve transparency in the management of natural resources, and public funds as well as citizen participation in governance.” 

It would be recalled that since OGP’s launch in 2011, its membership has grown from eight to 69 countries; and that currently, only eight are from the Africa continent namely, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Tunisia.

Malami also assured that the establishment of public accessible ‘Beneficial Ownership’ Register is one of the areas Nigeria would explore in support of the forthcoming London Anti-Corruption Summit scheduled to be hosted in London on May 11th, 2016.

The HAGF also emphasized that this would help in identifying several individuals that are hidden behind corporate vehicles while laundering public funds in offshore territories, however lamenting that the institutional and legal mandates of various anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and asset recovery agencies in the country are complex.

He said, “The consequence of this has been institutional rivalry, lack of strategic approach to planning and a lack of inter-agency cooperation and coordination. 

Malami further explained that, Our goal is to improve cooperation and coordination that is an essential element in strengthening the capacity of anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria by developing a deeper, evidence-based understanding of the agencies mandate, responsibilities, competencies, capacity and outputs embedded in respect for rule of law and integrity.”

AGF noted that “grand corruption” have had a destructive impact in Nigeria with a huge level of illicit asset flight and illegal transfer of a large proportion of natural resources revenue to offshore bank accounts or for investment in opaque economies thereby creating widespread culture of corruption and impunity at all levels of our society. 

Nevertheless, he acknowledged efforts made by successive Nigeria governments in tackling corruption and money laundering by enacting a number of laws to create necessary legal mechanism to combat the crimes.

He admonished that “Nigeria cannot afford complacency by anti-corruption institutions in the way they do their work.” 

“In conclusion, I must reiterate that Nigeria cannot afford complacency by anti-corruption institutions in a way they do their work. Tackling corruption in Nigeria is immensely difficult but with the political will provided under the current administration it is important that the agencies become highly effective to respond to current challenges and demands by the citizens.”

Speaking earlier, Mr. Ben Mellor, Head of Department for International Development (DFID) Nigeria in a presentation on the London Anti-Corruption Summit to be held soon, stated that British government has put in place every machinery towards making United Kingdom (UK) unsafe for treasury looters. 

He also assured that the UK is prepared to offer assistance to countries in the war against corruption and money laundering which includes Nigeria.