President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to groom Ghana on ways of fighting corruption, which he noted, had eaten deep into the fabric of both the Nigerian and Ghanaian societies.
The pledge came, just as Ghana marked its 61st Independence anniversary, on Tuesday, where Buhari participated as a special guest.
Recall that President Buhari, following his nomination as Africa’s anti-corruption Ambassador had re-echoed his stance to help the continent tackle the menace of corruption at the 30th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) held recently at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Buhari, who spoke on the theme: “Winning the Fight Against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation” had described corruption as one of the greatest evils of our time.
“Corruption rewards those who do not play by the rules and also creates a system of distortion and diversion thereby destroying all efforts at constructive, just and fair governance,” the Nigerian President had noted during the recent AU summit in Ethiopia.
Speaking at Independence Square in Accra, Tuesday, Buhari noted that with the right leadership and implementation of public policies, Africa’s quest to eradicate poverty and entrench democracy was on course.
He observed that Nigeria and Ghana were benefitting immensely from leaders committed to improving their economies and tackling corruption.
He commended President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana on his achievements in the first year in office, lauding his committed fight against corruption and the passing of the Special Prosecutors Bill into law.
“Your Excellency can be assured that you have a good partner in me as I look forward to any form of collaboration between Nigeria and Ghana in tackling the menace of endemic corruption.
“From Nigeria, I have watched closely your achievements, ranging from your ingenious approach to creating jobs for the teeming youths through various initiatives, including the repositioning of agriculture for modern farming, ‘Farming for Jobs and Food’, Senior High School (SHS) free education, One-District-One-Factory, and One-Village-One-Dam as well as the improvement being recorded in the Republic’s macroeconomic indicators.
“All these efforts, I am aware, have made Ghana to become a good destination for foreign direct investment just like Nigeria. Accept my congratulations!
“I congratulate both the government and the Parliament for the quick passage of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act and its signing into law.
“Given all these public policies, it becomes reassuring that with the right leadership, Africa’s drives to eradicate poverty and to entrench democracy is on course,” he said.
As special guest of honour at the ceremony, Buhari recounted the historic and cultural ties between Nigeria and Ghana, urging citizens of both countries to uphold the fraternal relations.
“It is, therefore, my strong desire that we owe it as a duty to ensure that our good peoples continue to live in each other’s countries unhindered.
“Our newly rejuvenated Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation has already provided us with good platform in resolving any differences while focusing on our main developmental objectives,” the President said.
Commenting on peace and security in West Africa, the President lauded Akufo-Addo’s contribution to ensuring peace in neighbouring Togo.
“Permit me to put on record, Ghana’s untiring efforts in brokering peace in Togo, by bringing all the warring parties to the negotiation table. I am appealing to the opposing parties in Togo to please come together and resolve their differences so that Togo will move forward.
“In the same vein, I wish Nigeria and Ghana to continue to provide the impetus in realising the objectives and ideals of the founding fathers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to ensure security, peace and development of our region,” he said.
__________
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2018 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.
