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President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies of a conducive environment to carry out their mandate of ridding the country of corruption.

Speaking on Monday at a summit on the anti-corruption drive in the Transportation and Maritime Industry, organised jointly by the EFCC and agencies of the Ministry of Transportation.at one of the activities marking this year’s United Nations Anti-Corruption Day, Buhari urged all Nigerians to play the rules and avoid all forms of sharp practices.

Represented by Police Affairs Minister, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, Buhari said it is very critical for all stakeholders in all sectors of the economy to ensure that they play by the rules and discard all forms of corrupt practices.

“On our part as government, we will continue to ensure that all measures necessary to improve the economy will continue to be implemented because we believe that Nigeria has all it takes, human and material resources, to be a great nation. We shall, therefore, encourage all citizens to buy into the anti-corruption fight by joining the process to kill corruption so that we can leave a legacy for our present and future generations.

“We cannot move forward as a country if corruption is not fought to a standstill, I, therefore, commend the EFCC, the Shippers Council, the Maritime and Transport stakeholders for coming out with such a laudable summit, aimed at enthroning probity, transparency, and accountability. I am particularly impressed by the synergy demonstrated by the agencies and hope that this partnership is sustained beyond this summit.

“It is no exaggeration to state that the maritime and transportation industry is pivotal to the growth of the economy of any country. It is critical to the ease of doing business, to both local and foreign investors. It is in realiSation of this that my administration, over the last four years, has embarked on audacious reform of the economy and the benefits are already visible for all.

“Only recently, it was revealed in the global ease of doing the business index of the Worlds Bank that the Nigerian business has improved. Indeed, Nigeria made progress, ranking 131 out of 190 countries, making us one of the top ten countries in the world that have experienced improvement in its economy. Suffice it to add that the feat was achieved by only two African countries; Nigeria and Togo.

“This achievement must not be allowed to be eroded by corrupt and sharp practices. The challenge before this summit is to ensure that Nigeria maintains this enviable status as a desirable destination for businesses in Africa. Also, my administration will not rest on her oars, we will continue to innovate to improve Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global best environments.”