Senator urges action against corruption, calls for unexplained wealth law
The lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Ali Ndume, has expressed concern over the high level of corruption in Nigeria, describing it as a significant challenge facing the nation.
Ndume made this statement during an interactive session with journalists in Kano on Saturday.
“Our major challenge in this country is corruption. To date, we have no law that can proactively or reactively address the issue of corruption. If you find someone within our system, especially in politics or government, who is not corrupt, it is because he is fortunate enough to be God-fearing.
“Otherwise, it is only in Nigeria that you can steal money, walk freely, and be celebrated. If you visit an area like this, people will start lobbying and prostrating before you, even when they know the money was stolen.
“In this country, someone who had no money yesterday or last week can suddenly buy ten cars and jets, and his family will celebrate him,” he said.
The lawmaker noted that in other developed countries, people would question how, when, and where such an individual acquired their wealth, but the opposite is the case in Nigeria.
Ndume mentioned that several attempts to pass a law addressing unexplained wealth in Nigeria had been thwarted. He added that he once asked a former president to sign an Executive Bill, but the president declined.
“To this day, there is no Unexplained Wealth Act in Nigeria, and no Executive Order addressing it,” Ndume stated.
The lawmaker also expressed concern about hunger in the country and called for increased cultivation of food crops to tackle the issue.
“There is hunger in the land, and to date, we have not cultivated even five per cent of our land. Nigeria is blessed with vast arable land.”
According to him, Nigeria has fertile land across the country that could be used to grow food crops and feed the nation.
(NAN)
