The All Progressives Congress (APC) Legacy Awareness and Campaign Group, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari administration was working to ensure responsive and accountable government at all levels.
Mr Lanre Issa-Onilu, one of the leaders of the group, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
He noted that the Buhari-led administration assumed office with the fight against corruption as one of its priorities, building on his lifelong reputation for integrity and incorruptibility.
He said the administration had remained resolute to fight corruption in the country and had spearheaded several reforms towards freeing the country from the clutches of the menace.
Issa-Onilu said the administration had put in place several initiatives aimed at establishing and strengthening the system and institutions that would entrench transparency, accountability and integrity in the management of public finances.
According to him, the president has continued to demonstrate the seriousness of his pledge during his 2015 inaugural speech through his various policies and programmes.
He said the greater focus of the administration, however, was actually on building preventive systems and mechanisms that would promote lasting accountability.
“For instance, early in the life of the administration, the President established the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC).
“This is to sign-post to the world the significance of the fight against corruption to his administration, it was the very first committee the President set up after he was sworn into office.
“Since inception PACAC has helped produce manuals, protocols and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to assist Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs) in their work,’’ Issa-Onilu said.
This, he said, included Corruption Case Management Manual, Plea Bargaining Manual, Sentencing Guidelines in High Profile Cases, a Framework for the Management of Recovered Stolen Assets and Asset Recovery Strategy Document, among others.
He noted that the whistle blowing policy introduced by the administration in December 2016, was the first of its kind in the country.
Issa-Onilu added that the introduction of the whistle blowing policy had resulted to recoveries of several billions of Naira from tax evaders and public officials.
He added that the increased oversight of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and their finances under the Buhari-led administration had started yielding results.
This, he said, was especially through increased remittance of operating surpluses by MDAs.
“For example, from remitting only N51 million between 2010 and 2016, JAMB has gone on to remit more than N20 billion to the Federal Government since 2017.
“This same scenario is being replicated across several MDAs in the country,’’ he said.
He added that the Project Lighthouse was another transparency and anti-corruption initiatives of the Buhari administration.
He said the initiative launched in 2018 was to integrate multiple tax and revenue data sources from across the government and third parties land records.(NAN)
