The presidency said President Muhammadu Buhari deserves credit for diminishing corruption in the public service.
Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement Thurday night, assured that Buhari will continue to support anti-corruption agencies.
Shehu condemned the latest Transparency International (TI) report on Corruption Perceptions Index in Nigeria.
The presidency declared it was not an accurate portrayal of the facts on ground.
The Buhari administration said the Technical Unit on Governance Research (TUGAR) will provide more detailed information on the sources of the TI data.
The statement said the government was aware of “the characters” behind the body’s verdict, adding that their opposition “is not hidden”.
“We have repeatedly challenged TI to provide indices and statistics of its own to justify its sensational and baseless rating on Nigeria and the fight against corruption.”
The presidency dared the watchdog to “come clean and desist from further rehashing of old tales.”
Shehu pointed out that N1.2trillion was recovered by EFCC between 2009 and 2019.
“N939bn of that total was recovered between 2015 – 2019 with less than N300billion recovered in the first six years”, he noted.
The aide further cited preventative instruments deployed by the Buhari administration.
It listed the Treasury Single Account (TSA), Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) coverage expansion, and the removal of 54,000 ghost workers from federal civil service “saving N200bn annually”.
The presidency advised Nigerians to stand with the APC administration that has “done so much” on asset recovery, prosecution, legislation, and shown will in the fight against corruption.
