President Muhammadu Buhari is ready to turn on the heat against corrupt highly placed individuals by stepping on ‘big toes’ in the ongoing anti-graft war, the Presidency has said.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, stated this at the opening of a three-day workshop organised for State House correspondents in Kaduna, reports The Nation
The workshop which is organized by the Presidency is tagged: “Journalism and the change mantra, State House in focus.”
Shehu said the government needs the help of the press if it intends to win the ongoing war against corruption.
He said, “President Buhari has embarked on an anti-corruption campaign that is bound to offend many. Big toes will be stepped on, personal interests will be cast aside. As the popular saying goes, when you fight corruption, corruption fights back.
“Yes, anti-corruption is a war. And the press can help President Muhammadu Buhari to win that war. You are one of the government’s most lethal weapons in this battle against the forces that aim to pull down Nigeria.
“The power of the media, if they have any power at all lies in their ability to expose wrong-doing. This power of exposure is a far more effective deterrent in many countries, including our own, than the court systems that deliver judgment and not necessarily justice.
“If they know that that they will be exposed, many crimes will not happen and herein lies the challenge of the media under Buhari’s administration.
“Use your power to expose wrong-doing, the days of impunity are gone. This is the best way to help the change, now that we have a government with the will and capacity to right all wrongs. But ensure accuracy and the sanctity of the truth.”
