Ministers Won’t Award Contracts Again - Buhari

As part of the ongoing reform of
several strata of the Nigeria, President
Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed
that ministers won’t be having the
luxury of awarding contracts or
getting corrupt in how contracts are
awarded.
Speaking with journalists in
Washington DC during his four-day
visit to the United States, Buhari said
ministers would no longer have
power to award contracts.
In his words, ‘I have already acted to
remove political control over
awarding of contracts away from
ministers, who use them to get
political favours and kickbacks,’
In furtherance, the president
disclosed that the introduction of a
new system of plea bargaining to
encourage looters of the government
money and oil thieves to return the
people’s stolen commonwealth. »
‘I will introduce a new system of plea
bargain, that will allow those who
have stolen assets and funds to return
them – but if they do not take that
opportunity we will pursue them
through the courts.’
Noting that corruption is one of the
top issues facing Nigeria, Buhari
disclosed further that his government
is taking several steps to end the
menace.
‘Corruption is one of the top three
issues facing Nigeria, along with
insecurity and unemployment. We
must act to kill corruption or
corruption will kill Nigeria. I am
determined to lead that fight.
‘My government is already taking
several steps to cut out the cancer of
corruption that has been eating away
at the state for so long.
‘We are reorganizing the existing
plethora of anti-corruption bodies
into single powerful agency that will
have the focus, power and budget to
clamp down on corruption at the
federal and state levels,’ the president
told journalists.