By Olayinka Latona 

CATHOLIC Archbishop  of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins and Archbishop Emeritus, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie have commended the resolve of President Muhammadu Buhari to fight corruption in the country, saying he should not leave any stone unturned and must not spare anyone found guilty.

Cardinal Okogie

The clerics made the call during a media chat after the third anniversary of Archbishop Martins’ enthronement as Archbishop of Lagos and the formal unveiling of Catholic Agora, the archdiocese’s social media platform.

Commenting on reports that the President, after a visit to the USA, now has a list of top Nigerians believed to have siphoned the nation’s wealth, Martins said Mr. President should quickly go into action by investigating those involved and if found guilty,   the president should bring them to justice. He stressed that no one must be spared, no matter how highly placed, to serve as deterrent to others, arguing that it is not enough to jail the culprits.

“What is more important is repatriation of the ill-gotten wealth to the coffers of the nation,” he added, advising the federal government to block all loopholes to avoid future occurrences.

Also commenting on the recent accusation made against 19 state governments by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), on their failure to pay over N400 million owed the examination body as payment for exam fees of students, the Archbishop urged states to be prudent in their spending and seek ways to diversify their revenues.

He lamented that the nation’s economy has degenerated for state governments to have taken the duty of paying their citizens’ exam fees as against the responsibility of the parents.

“From indications, the states would continue to be broke unless they make concerted and purposeful effort to prudently manage their resources and diversify their revenue generation drives,” the archbishop counseled.

While calling on the President to take critical step to reposition the economy, the cleric also appealed to him to grant clemency to the soldiers court-martialed by the military last year for refusal to obey their superiors’ orders, stating that the recent revelation of the immediate past Chief of Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (rtd.) that the Nigerian Army has been ill-equipped justifies this call. On the performance of President Buhari in office, Cardinal Okogie said the president has done well in his short period in office, acknowledging that slow and steady President Buhari will win the race. He argued that Buhari needs time to pick out and tackle squarely, the enormous rot he met on ground.