Minister of information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, this afternoon in Lagos described the war against corruption as one of the cardinal programmes of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, saying that failure in the war is not an option.

Peaking during a meeting with Online Publishers, in continuation of his ongoing consultation with key stakeholders in the Information and Culture sector, Alhaji Mohammed said: “'Some have said the government is dwelling too much on the war against corruption to the detriment of other areas of governance. Our response to that is that indeed, there is nothing like dwelling too much on this war, which is a war of survival for our nation.

“The situation is grim, very grim indeed, as far as corruption is concerned. That is why the Federal Government is embarking on this sensitization Campaign Our approach is not to vilify anyone but to use facts and figures to give Nigerians a sense of the cost of corruption.”

The Minister blamed corruption for the fact that while the country’s budget had grown consistently from just over 900 billion Naira in 1999 to over 6 trillion Naira in 2016, poverty has also grown almost in direct proportion.

“The simple reason is that appropriated funds have ended up in the pockets of a few,” he said.

Giving a comparative analysis of the number of those who benefitted from the funds allegedly collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and funds allocated for the 2015 Zonal Intervention Projects, Alhaji Mohammed said: “The amount received by 21 individuals and companies from ONSA is more than the 2015 Zonal Intervention Project budget by 2.829 billion Naira!

“Whereas the sum of 51.829 billion Naira was appropriated for 1,278 projects in the Zonal Intervention Projects for 2015, a total of 21 individuals and companies benefited from the Dasukigate to the tune of 54.659 billion Naira as we know so far.

“The implication, therefore, is that the amount received by 21 individuals and companies is more than the 2015 Zonal Intervention Project budget by 2.829 billion Naira! Furthermore, the value of what beneficiaries of Dasukigate contributed to development is zero, compared to how the lives of Nigerians would have been transformed, poverty reduced and livelihoods improved by the Zonal Intervention Projects which would have cost 2.829 billion Naira less than Dasukigate.”

He appealed to the Online Publishers to support the war against corruption by ensuring that Nigerians are well informed about the evils of corruption, saying: “This is not Buhari’s war. This is not APC’s war. This is Nigeria’s war and failure is not an option.”

The Minister assured that the Federal Government will not regulate online publications in the country, saying the publishers are responsible enough to regulate themselves.

He, however, told the publishers to ensure that they maintain their credibility, saying: “If the online publications suffer credibility problems, they stand the risk of losing the confidence of their readers and the advertisers who provide the lifeblood for the publications’ survival.”

Alhaji Mohammed said while the number of online publications is bound to grow in the days ahead, only the credible ones will continue to enjoy patronage, either from the readers or from the advertisers.

He said it was in the interest of government that Online Publications continue to grow in number “because the more the number of such online publications, the easier it becomes to bridge the information gap between the government and the governed, and the easier it becomes for the government to carry the citizens along in the formulation and implementation of policies that touch on their lives.”

The Minister promised that the Federal Government would patronise online publications through adverts, saying: “All we ask for, in return, is that you provide accurate information to the people, and avoid sensationalism and partisanship.”

He sought the publishers’ support to ensure the success of the various campaigns that have either being launched or are about to be launched by the Federal Government.

“The National Security Awareness Campaign, aimed at rallying the support of Nigerians for the war on terror, is ongoing. Also, the National Sensitization Campaign against Corruption was formally launched in Abuja on Monday, and it is aimed at rallying Nigerians against the cankerworm of corruption which has eaten deep into the fabric of our society. We are also preparing to launch a National Re-orientation Campaign, which is tagged ‘CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME’, to achieve a paradigm shift in the way we do things,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

•Photo shows Lai Mohammed.

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