Unic Press UK: President Muhammadu Buhari spoke on Sunday in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, describing corruption as one of the biggest evil of our time.
Buhari aired his views during the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, which officially opened on Sunday 28 January in Addis Ababa. He said:
“Corruption is indeed one of the greatest evils of our time. Corruption rewards those who do not play by the rules and also creates a system of distortion and diversion thereby destroying all efforts at constructive, just and fair governance. It is evident that Corruption has a devastating impact on marginalized communities especially the youth, women and children. Corruption breeds unequal societies, renders vulnerable groups prone to human trafficking, as well as recruitment into armed groups and militia. In effect, corruption deprives our young citizens of opportunities to develop meaningful livelihoods.”
Somalia was rated the most corrupt country among 176 countries on the 2016 Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International. Nigeria ranked 136.
All low-ranked countries on the index are “plagued by untrustworthy and badly functioning public institutions like the police and the judiciary. People frequently face situations of bribery and extortion,” says Transparency International.
