Crusoe Osagie
27 May 2005
Paris — President Olusegun Oba-sanjo yesterday in Paris said foreigners who are victims of fraud and corrupt practices in Nigeria are usually accomplices in these criminal acts.
Obasanjo who addressed French and Nigerian journalists alongside his French counterpart, President Jacques Chirac during his meeting with the French Organised Private Sector, explained that some foreigners actually encourage corruption in Nigeria.
According to Obasanjo, these corrupt foreigners only cry out when they become victims of these corrupt practices, which they encourage.
"Foreigners actually encourage corruption in Nigeria. You do not need to give any bribe to get what you are entitled to in Nigeria.
"Corruption cannot thrive if there is no giver. The taker may want to be corrupted but if the giver does not succumb or give in then the taker will have nothing to take.
"However, we are fighting corruption at all fronts in Nigeria and others including foreigners must join us to fight it," he said.
Obasanjo also chronicled several reasons why the investment by foreigners in Nigeria would be safe even when he is no longer in power in 2007.
He said Nigeria has an excellent record of encouraging and protecting foreign investment and investors no matter the internal challenges or type of government in the country.
According to him, there is a collective realization and agreement that the country needs reliable partners to promote development and the populace has voted massively for democratic consolidation and practice.
"Many of those working with my administration are young, creative and patriotic professionals and their job tenures go beyond 2007. They can be relied upon to continue the reform. Also Nigerians, professionals and our society, showing their appreciation for our democratic system and seeing the dividends of reform are beginning to own the policies and programmes and are now insisting on transparency, accountability, due process and fair competition," he said.
He also explained that the government is putting laws in place to strengthen and consolidate the reforms where necessary.
He said the on-going reforms in the areas of privatisation, pension, procurement, and public/private sector partnership among others are being backed with appropriate laws to ensure the security of investors.
"Our political reforms will ensure that there will be no political upheavals both before and after 2007.The on-going political reforms and the outcome of the national political reforms conference are bound to strengthen political structures, eliminate previous political constraints, build new bridges of dialogue and understanding and further consolidate our democratic enterprise," he said.
On debt relief, Obasanjo explained that Nigeria has never made any move to go back on its obligation as far as debt is concerned.
He said the country's case for debt relief bothered on the fact and reality of the development challenges facing it.
"Let me use this opportunity to address a very crucial matter about the debt issue.
"We in Nigeria have neither made any attempt in the past to renege on our debt obligation because we have always believed in consultation, dialogue, and negotiation. Therefore let me state again that our case for debt relief is borne out of our commitment to cater for a large population of about 150 million people, promote growth and development, strengthen market relations and generate resources to provide the required infrastructures and enabling environment for local and foreign investors.
"We are pleased to handle a lot of responsibilities for humanitarian intervention, monitoring of elections, and ensuring peace, stability and constitutional governance in Africa especially west Africa.
"However this costs money and we are not a rich country with oil revenue not up to 50 cents per head of population per day.
"Funds received from the repatriation of stolen funds from countries like Switzerland as well as funds from debt relief will go directly to sectors such as health, roads, education, water, rural electrification, irrigation and power and these are the sectors that benefit the poor directly," he said.
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