Buhari to address UN General Assembly september 20

*Nigeria Gets OGP Membership

President Muhammadu Buhari has been invited to speak at the 5th anniversary event of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on September 20.

Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), made this known at the meeting of stakeholders on the Implementation of the Outcome of the London Summit on Anti-Corruption and the OGP held on Thursday in Abuja.

Buhari is expected to deliver a speech at the event against the backdrop of Nigeria’s enlistment as a member country of the partnership.

The minister, elated about the development, told the gathering that the effort of government to curb corruption received a boost, as it received confirmation as the latest participating OGP member nation.

He revealed that the letter confirming Nigeria’s membership has been received through the OGP Secretariat, signed by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ms. Sanjay Pradhan, indicating that all the OGP Steering Committee members have confirmed Nigeria as a participating member country.

“The OGP Secretariat has also extended their support to the government of Nigeria and invited Buhari to speak at the 5th anniversary event.

“This is an exciting moment for Nigeria as we seek to put back our country on the spotlight by engaging with the public and the society on transparent, accountable and participatory governance.

“The foregoing establishes the fact that Nigeria has always appreciated the importance of open government as a means of ensuring transparency and accountability in the conduct of government business,” Malami said.

He explained that it is the position of the current administration that commitment to the promotion of open government in Nigeria would resonate strongly with the message of change it represents.

Malami expressed satisfaction at efforts made by government to develop sustainable anti-corruption policies, stressing that since assuming office, every effort had been made by the President to build on and expand what previous governments initiated.

He further pointed out that one of the key priorities of government is the need to recover stolen funds and pay back to the Nigerian society what they have lost to corruption.

His spokesman, Salihu Isah, quoted the minister saying that during the Summit, Buhari presented a country statement on actions that would be implemented by government on anti-corruption reforms.

He revealed that the main objectives of the Summit were to tackle corruption from three key areas- exposing corruption, punish the corrupt and support victims who have suffered from corruption and to drive out the culture of corruption wherever it exists.

The Stakeholders’ Forum is aimed at bringing together the public and private sector, as well as civil society organisations to work with the Ministry in ensuring that the President’s commitments are turned into actionable plans.

In his remarks, Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, assured of his support and commitment to OGP, adding that he is open to its effective implementation; hence his personally gracing of the occasion.

Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, emphasised the administration’s commitment to the implementation of the approved monitoring and evaluation framework of the budget preparation and working towards making sure the budget is open.

In his remarks, on behalf of development partners, the Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission, Mr. Simon Shercliff, said the British Prime Minister is delighted with Buhari’s valuable contributions during the Summit.

Shercliff observed that corruption is a cancer in many countries of the world and stressed the need for the government to work together towards 2030 agenda to reduce bribery and corruption.