Anti-corruption body tackles Buhari as President asks Nigerians to change
Olubode Olusesan / 59 minutes ago

President Muhammadu Buhari
Niyi Odebode, Everest Amaefule and Eniola Akinkuotu

President Muhammadu Buhari has said the change his administration promised during its campaign begins with all Nigerians.

The President, who stated this on Thursday in Abuja at the inauguration of the national re-orientation campaign entitled, ‘Change Begins With Me’, said the change Nigerians were seeking must begin with all citizens of the country.

But an anti-graft organisation, BudgIT group, has questioned the sincerity of Buhari ‘Change Begins With Me’ campaign.

BudgIT, which advocates transparency in governance, said in a Facebook post on Thursday that the President could not demand change from Nigerians when his government had failed to promote change through transparency.

Buhari stated that one of the cardinal objectives of the All Progressives Congress was “change” and urged all Nigerians to support the national re-orientation campaign.

The President added, “Our citizens must realise that the change they want to see begins with them, and that personal and social reforms are not a theoretical exercise. If you have not seen the change in you, you cannot see it in others or even the larger society.

“In other words, before you ask ‘where is the change they promised us’, you must first ask ‘how far have I changed my ways? What have I done to be part of the change for the greater good of society?”

He said Nigeria was passing through a challenging time and emphasised the need for attitudinal change for the nation to get to its destination.

Buhari added, “Nigeria today is passing through a challenging moment, where hardly anything works in a normal manner. Many have attributed this phenomenon to the total breakdown of our core values over the years.

“It is safe to say today that honesty, hard work, godliness have given way to all kinds of manifestation of lawlessness and degeneration in our national life. This is why we have among our cardinal objectives ‘change’, which implies the need for a change of attitude and mindset in our everyday life.

“I need not mention the serious effort we have engaged in since the inception of this administration on the fight against corruption in our public life. With the progress we have so far made in that regard, we feel the need to ensure that we put in place the necessary sustainable framework for action and measures that will help to entrench and consolidate the progress achieved so far.

“This, we believe, can best be maintained through attitudinal change, and the change of our mindset in private and public life. The campaign is all about the need for us to see change not merely in terms of our economic, social progress but in terms of our personal behaviour; on how we conduct ourselves; engage our neighbours, friends and generally, how we relate with the larger society in a positive and definite ways and manner that promote our common good and common destiny – change at home; change in the work place; change at traffic junction; change at traffic lights etc.”

According to him, the campaign is part of the determination of the APC “to carry all Nigerians along on the journey to a better and greater society that we all can be proud of.”

He noted that the country’s value system had been badly eroded over the years.

“The long-cherished and time-honoured, time-tested virtues of honesty, integrity, hard work, punctuality, good neighbourliness, abhorrence of corruption and patriotism have given way in the main to dishonesty, indolence, unbridled corruption and widespread impunity,” Buhari stated.

The President added that the effect of the erosion in the value system was manifest in all spheres of national life.

He stated, “It is the reason that some youths will take to cultism and brigandage instead of studying hard or engaging in decent living.
Reference; Punch newspaper.

These government had failed to promote change through transparency.
Let the change start with our politicians.

I have changed to a hungry man sir

Why didn't they tackle him when he couldn't provide his certificate?
This is medicine after death. Buhari is a fatal failure!

This singular action of PMB is a clear indication of his unpreparedness for governance
How can your campaign slogan be 'change' but took you 17 months to launch this change rubbish campaign.
PMB is even far more clueless than GEJ in all ramifications even though GEJ to me was not successful in governance

A country where suffering have turn to smiling,only in Nigeria.

This so called anti-corruption is not serious.O kita ka corruption nke Buhari bido? Spare us this scrap! .His antecedents were there,he won election with a yet to be seen fraudulent certificate,the budget scandal raged and other numerous atrocities of this government went on while you watched.Now what are you tackling him for when the irreparable damage have been done?