ABUJA— President Muhammadu Buhari deserves kudos, not knocks, from Nigerians for signing the executive order 6 which is targeted at attacking the root of corruption and making Nigeria a great nation with minimal tolerance for public corruption, the Chairman Southern Senators forum, Sen. Hope Uzodimma has declared.

In a statement in Abuja on Monday.Uzodimma said critics of the order have not taken time to realize that it will not in anyway infringe on the rights of citizens as it is only aimed at preventing the use of assets connected with corruption, adding that the measure will go a long way in sanitising the polity.

In his view, the order is in good faith and does not infringe on the legitimate rights of a citizen. A typical example is a case of a public officer who before assuming office declared his assets as required by law but who in the course of service acquires new properties outside what he had before assuming office above without legitimate explanation of the source of wealth. Such properties acquired in office should be seen to be connected to corruption and the owner should be prevented from using them until he proves otherwise, he added, and wondered what was wrong or dictatorial about such a measure.

Critics have lambasted President Buhari for signing the order arguing that it usurped the powers of the judiciary and was not backed by the constitution. But Uzodimma believes that they are not getting their facts right and argued that the order only stopped those who could back up their assets with legitimate source of income from using such assets on grounds of being connected with corruptions.

He explained: “I think we must get something clear here, the President explained that the government was declaring a national emergency on corruption to deal with an endemic problem that is threatening development and even unity.”