So can we deal with security without tackling corruption? When you came to power last time, you were known for your fight against corruption. Today, it’s a different kind of fight. In your party, the APC, there are many people accused of corruption, so how do you first put your house in order and then deal with the hydra-headed issue of corruption?

I think the priority has to be the other way round, we have to put the country in order first. In attempting to put the country in order, it is going to be a terrible situation for whoever wins and I pity whoever succeeds President Jonathan, even if it were to be myself. But this is what we can do; the practical way to tackle corruption is to draw a line, because institutions have been compromised. We cannot go on the way we did in the military in 1983 to fight corruption. This time around, you cannot do it that way because most of the institutions have been compromised. The person you will depend on as the auditor to go and check the CBN, maybe he has got some substantial part of the deal. These are the facts on the ground. So what you do is to persuade them and tell them to help to amend it. You have drawn a line, part of these are in courts and you cannot interfere with the judiciary, no matter how bad you believe the judiciary is. Constitutionally or otherwise, you have to leave the judiciary, you cannot bring better judges and put them on the job over night. It takes generations. So you have to appeal to their conscience and prove to them that you are serious and that cases in the courts that you are interested in them but let the judiciary continue. Cases that have been struck out, the government will move forward but any case that comes up will be handed over to the judiciary. But to say that you are going to investigate, I am afraid that government will not last a quarter because the institutions have been compromised.

So there is no capacity to investigate corruption and what you are proposing is to draw a line going forward?

Yes, to be honest, the capacity is not there because as I said, institutions have been compromised but if you say I am not going to participate in corruption, I am not going to tolerate it from day one, I hope the people will believe it and those that have cases in court have to give way so that people that have not been caught because God help those caught helping themselves then. We can deal with them. But as I said, you cannot go head on as we did under the military.

Essentially to understand you sir, so all these governors who are alleged to be corrupt, all these senators and others, you are drawing the line. Is that amnesty for corruption? Don't you think that you are also being a victim of your past, that something you did successfully, that because you were criticised, you are now afraid to do it again?

No, I am not afraid. If I was afraid the day they attempted to bomb me, I would not have felt like continuing. But I felt I have done nothing wrong other than telling the truth where I find it serious enough to tell the truth. The important thing is that I mentioned it, you don't have the capacity to catch the big thieves right now, you don't have the capacity. You have to do it gradually because, as I said before, all the institutions have been compromised. Do you know that I said it about 18 months ago, I think it was at a book launch where I said in my own area in Nigeria, people hardly go to the police. If they are cheated or something, once they are alive, they say 'God dey' and they continue with life because they cannot afford justice, they cannot get it. Virtually the whole country has reached that stage.

How do you reconcile your party’s position to ensure zero tolerance for corruption with the approach you have decided to adopt on corruption?

No, I said that as far as corruption is concerned I will not tolerate it from the day I take charge of governance. But those cases that are in courts, they will continue but as we move forward, cases that come up will be handed over to the judiciary.

If you look at other four people running with you under the APC, assuming that you choose not to run again, who would you chose to fly the party's flag at the election?

I think if I am not running, I should leave it to the party to decide. I understand Rochas Okorocha got two forms, one for president and one for governor, I do not know which one he wants. In any case, I think by receiving those two forms he has disqualified himself from the race.  So out of the remaining, Atiku Abubakar, Kwankwaso and Nda-Isaiah, I think I will choose Kwankwaso.  Atiku was the vice-president to President Obasanjo for eight years and you know how they ended up. You know that one more than myself. While in school, I was a class monitor, a prefect, a head boy. From there, a governor, a minister, chairman of PTF and a head of state and so people can refer to something. Kwankwaso has also served as governor for the second time and was Minister of Defence, may be you can refer to something. But Sam is a very difficult one.

What is your economic blue print?

It will be a set of regulations, strategies, policies and a vision on how to stabilise the economy, secure the country and move forward. I think that’s what it is.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/buhari-in-quest-to-secure-nigeria/196454


My Sincere Question is this: How can I Vote for a man who has no articulated strategy or plan for the economy that we can read as his manifesto and become confident of his administration. Or should we Nigerians keep doing trial and error in our leadership, if he fails, we throw him away? Nigeria has THREE big issue, Gen. Muhammad Buhari has only one Solution to just one Problem: Security!

What then happens to our ECONOMY AND INFRASTRUCTURE? No substantive solution from Germany. Muhammad Buhari.....he even slacked on his corruption ideology.

I love my country and now, which way do we go!
#ForwardNigeria
#NigeriaDecides
GMB2015?

I'm listening

For umpteenth time, Mohammadu Buhari never fought corruption in his cabinet but witch-hunted perceived adversaries, stumbling blocks and any impediment to becoming a "sit-tight" despot like his African counterparts..

The policy we had under Buhari's military regime was "War Against Indiscipline" and not corruption.

Did corruption abate under Buhari when teachers were not paid as at when due?

Enough of this media propaganda of social re-engineering and brainwashing.

We need not be punished further with ragtag veterans known for their demented faculty of foresight.

If there should be change, we need leaders with connected brains!

The institutions have been compromised so we cannot decide now...

well spoken

in that case the general is coming out true fully that he can't fight corruption. I can assure you that if buhari implement anti corruption policy 95% of those people shouting change change and shouting zero tolerant on corruption will be find guilty, ask them are they truly free of corruption in their dealings. make any one of us ordinary councillor, you will see the worse in us than those we are condemning. eni ifa o to'si lo n pe ni haram ( he who does not benefited from awoof will call it taboo). situation whereby even common entrance pupil is cheating in exam, who can you point at that is not corrupt, the police and soldiers you are going to use to enforce the laws are corrupt, judges and lawyers are corrupt, the religion leader you can run to are corrupt, almost of your advisers are corrupt, the house of rep. and senator you seek their approvals for some of this your policy and budget are corrupt and this is not military era that you can just gives command, even the society that you are fighting for will be accusing you of evicting hardship on them, a tree can never make forest, you will discover you need those corrupt people to run your government.

Buhari shouldn't have answered that question on who he would have supported in the party if he's not running, that answer can destroy the unity they are currently enjoying in the party.
I don't know why people are asking for some sort of manifesto, considering the peculiarity of this election I think he's telling us all we need to know and I expect he tells us more as election draws near.
GMB2015

This shows that saint buhari is clueless on how to fight corruption. He will surely disappoint his supporters when elected. So because of tinubu and co those that stole our money should go and steal no more, state pardon and amnesty for corrupt officials

Summary: I, General M. Buhari cannot fight corruption because every institution have been compromised.

lekhane:
Buhari shouldn't have answered that question on who he would have supported in the party if he's not running, that answer can destroy the unity they are currently enjoying in the party.
I don't know why people are asking for some sort of manifesto, considering the peculiarity of this election I think he's telling us all we need to know and I expect he tells us more as election draws near.
GMB2015

you are right! The interviewer knew that he was interviewing an honest and a sincere man, so he took advantage of that part of him.