The Rivers State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said on Wednesday that corruption would disappear from Nigeria if the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), emerged the winner of the February 14 presidential election.
Amaechi specifically stated that Buhari would instil discipline and uprightness on corrupt public officials in the country should he win the forthcoming poll.
The Director General of Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, who made this remark while swearing in nine permanent secretaries at the Government House in Port Harcourt, pointed out that Nigerians were tired of the Peoples Democratic Party leadership under President Goodluck Jonathan and needed a change.
Amaechi added that no matter the lies told by the leadership of the PDP, Nigerians were interested in the improvement in the country’s affairs.
“We were sharing some discussions in the bus in the cause of our campaign. The President and the PDP never knew that there will be a time like this in Nigeria when Nigerians will be asking for change, not because of the APC or Amaechi but because they are tired of what is going on.
“No matter the lies you tell, Nigerians just want change; any type of change they want it. It could be change for the better, it could be change even for the worse but they certainly want change,” the governor stressed.
Amaechi, however, charged the newly sworn-in permanent secretaries to see their appointment as a call to service delivery and ensure that they were not on the wrong side of history.
He observed that in the past, permanent secretaries were not corrupt but upright, adding that currently, some of those occupying similar positions had landed property everywhere.
The governor urged the new permanent secretaries to resign if they were not ready to serve, maintaining that their current position came with challenges.
Amaechi said, “Don’t be one of those permanent secretaries that history will have on the wrong side of the society. If you don’t want to serve, please, resign because it comes with challenges.
“Just imagine the days when J. E. Amadi was a permanent secretary. Now permanent secretaries have houses everywhere, estates they have built for themselves and are busy sharing money.
“You better change because the Buhari government will force change on everybody. I hope you listened to him (Buhari); he is not talking about Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, he said there are rules of the civil service.
“If we obey those rules, corruption will seize. If we all run government by those rules, then we will have a better country. Let me congratulate you on behalf of the state government.”
Those sworn in by the governor are Amieyefori Joseph, Marcus Anga, Samuel Egbe and Dagogo Heart.
Others are Mrs. A. E. Petito, Augustine Orlu Orlu, Sam Woka, Kingsley Hart and Mrs. Ibaniba Abella Briggs
