Oscarline Onwuemenyi
07 December 2015, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The Federal Government has sought the support of the Commonwealth countries in its fight against corruption in the oil and gas industry.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s policies and style have received some push back recently in the foreign press, where it has been severely criticized as economic demarketing, but the President is ploughing ahead nonetheless.
According to a statement signed by the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, President Buhari is urging the international community to aid in combating corruption in its oil and gas industry.
Buhari, who made the call at a group meeting of Commonwealth leaders being held in Malta regarding corruption, said that corruption in the oil sector and outright theft of Nigeria’s crude oil had been exacerbated by the culture of impunity which reigned under previous administrations.
He added that corruption in the sector had also thrived because of the ease of transferring funds abroad and the institutional protection given to corrupt officials in the past.
“Now that we have the political will to stop impunity, we need the cooperation and assistance of the international community.
“We must all work together to compel multinational oil companies, international financial institutions and international shipping lines to stop aiding and abetting corruption in the oil sector in Nigeria,’’ he said.
The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron of the UK and was attended by the leaders of Australia, Canada, Singapore, Malta, Sri Lanka, Botswana, and Trinidad and Tobago.
