President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday took on critics of his government’s posture in the fight against corruption, saying some of the critics were very corrupt individuals.
The President has been under severe criticisms from Nigerians over his attitude towards the fight against corruption, especially among top officials of government.
In fact, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, in a scathing remark recently, said the ‘body language’ of the President showed that he was not interested in fighting the scourge of corruption. The Speaker spoke at an event organised by the Nigerian Bar Association to mark the 2013 International Anti-corruption Day in Abuja on December 9, 2013.
But Jonathan in Abuja replied the critics, saying some of them criticised his government over corruption only to earn undeserved credibility.
He spoke shortly after swearing in the chairman and two members of the National Population Commission; a member of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission; and two special advisers at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The new special advisers are Senator Suleiman Ajadi (National Assembly) and Ambassador Fidelia Njeze (New Partnership for African Development).
The President said, “The society is so funny that these days, anybody who wants to claim any element of credibility at all will go to the television and accuse government of corruption, that the President’s body language shows that he is not fighting corruption or that he is not ready to fight corruption.
“Sometimes, even the very corrupt people are those making these statements because if you attack government you are insulated, you become an angel.
“If you want to be an angel, just attack the government, whatever you have done is covered.”
The President said he was convinced that the ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission were working hard to tackle corruption but that the agencies must prove to Nigerians that they were performing.
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