Nuhu Ribadu, former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is doing “extremely well” in the fight against corruption.
Speaking on the sideline of an anti-corruption townhall meeting tagged ‘A spanner in the wheel of corruption’, organised by the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation in Abuja, Ribadu said there is “so much noise” in the country regarding corruption.
He said it is natural that the fight against corruption will raise many questions and debate.
“Buhari is doing extremely well,” he told TheCable, adding: “Fighting corruption is not easy; the more you see people are complaining, the more it means you are doing well. So it is a sort of badge of honour for those who are doing it.
“There are a lot of people saying so many things, but it is natural when you are fighting corruption. When it is silent, then things are not happening. So I am very okay with what is going on.”
The former EFCC chairman said the recent corruption perception index released by Transparency International (TI) — which ranked the country low — does not address the progress made in the ongoing anti-graft war.
According to him, TI’s report “is just a perception.”
“Let Transparency International come and tell me a country that has 4,000 criminal cases of ongoing trial in their own courts that is not doing well in fighting corruption,” Ribadu said.
“The perception is so because people are complaining, every single person you ask in Nigeria will say, ‘why me? Why not others.’ So that sent a message as if things are not going on properly. The moment you see these type of things happening, put your head up because you are doing very well.”