Chairman of Transparency International, Nigeria Office, Auwal Rafsanjani has refuted working against the Nigerian military leader over its recent report on arms procurement.
Recall that TI had in a report presented by Auwal, claimed that the “Defence sector corruption in Nigeria has enabled the political elite to accumulate and distribute political patronage. Longstanding military exceptionalism, meanwhile, has justified weak and compromised oversight of security -related spending and excessive secrecy,” the report said.
However, speaking on a programme monitored on AIT Monday morning, the TI executive insisted that the recent report was not meant to derail the anti-corruption fight by the current administration.
According to him, the report was aimed at commending and complementing the efforts of the various service chiefs for ‘deviating from the past.’
Speaking further , the TI director applauded the Nigerian Army for making efforts to study some recommendations made by the its organization to further strengthen its ongoing war against every form of corruption within its rank and file.
He also used the opportunity to call on the Nigerian military to continue to make its door open to interactions between the Civil Society and the Organizations in the Federal Government’s war against corruption knowing fully well that, “the military remains key to the sustenance of any healthy society for all Nigerians.”
On his part, social and political commentator, Philip Agbese, who spoke alongside Rafsanjani on the program, maintained that though there could be facts in the report between 2010 to 2015, it was still not enough for any one to constitute himself into a court of law to pass verdicts on issues before the court.
He further encouraged Transparency International to be less ambiguous in its titles and presentations as not to discourage selfless persons particularly the present Military Chiefs who have done their best to bring about sanity to the military in the last two years.
