President Bola Tinubu has declared that his administration cannot be accused of protecting any individual or group from legal consequences on account of political affiliation, or obstructing crime investigation and prosecution by the authorities, as the government has neither shield laws nor engages in concealment of people’s involvement in crime.
Tinubu said a Nigeria corruption-free was possible if everyone committed to doing the right thing in their respective spheres of influence.
He charged the judiciary to remain steadfast, impartial, and incorruptible in dispensing justice.
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The president spoke yesterday in Abuja while declaring open the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and National Judicial Institute (NJI) Workshop for Justices and Judges.
He warned that the breakdown of any society began when those entrusted with interpreting its laws became compromised.
Tinubu said his administration was committed to improving the welfare and working conditions of judicial officers, stating that recent remuneration reviews are part of a broader effort to strengthen judicial independence.
The president, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said the moral foundation of the Nigerian nation rested on the integrity of its judicial system.
“We draw our moral distinction as a people from the judiciary, and we owe it the reverence and autonomy to remain the last sanctuary of our collective conscience,” he said.
The president addressed growing public concerns about delayed adjudication in high-profile corruption cases while cybercrime matters were resolved more swiftly.
He said, “The theme of this year’s workshop, ‘Enhancing Justice in the Fight Against Economic and Financial Crimes,’ will resonate among many in this audience, coming at a time when conversation in the fight against corruption evokes anger over delayed adjudication of high-profile matters while cases involving cybercrime masterminds are determined with dispatch.
“There is also a certain level of consternation over decisions of courts in serious corruption matters that engender feelings that society is being left with the wrong end of the stick.”
Defending his administration’s non-interference in matters of the court and fight against graft, he stated, “There is no person or group who can accuse this administration of shielding political actors on account of their affiliation to this government or the political party. We have allowed both the judiciary and the anti-graft agencies to exercise their constitutional and statutory powers.”
Tinubu highlighted achievements in the anti-corruption drive, revealing that EFCC “has recorded over 7,000 convictions in the first two years of my administration and recovered assets in excess of N500 billion”.
He added that the recovered proceeds were being channelled into social investment programmes, including the Students Loan and Consumer Credit Schemes
