The Presidency has declared war on corruption and it is not negotiable.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu in Abuja on Sunday.

He was reacting to an earlier statement by ministers, who served under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Shehu asked the affected persons, who he described as “members of the country’s latest trade union formation, the Association of Ex-Jonathan Ministers”, to do a bit of self-reflection on the sort of government they handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29.

He said such self-reflection would make the former ministers to decide if it would have been right for any incoming government to ignore the issue of the brazen theft of public assets, which he said appeared to be the first of its kind in the country.

Shehu added that earlier statements that there was no witch-hunt or malice against anyone in the pursuit of the county’s stolen assets, still stood.

“This war against corruption knows no friend nor foe.

“There is no intention to deny anyone of their good name where they are entitled to it and  President Buhari reserves the highest regards for the country’s former leaders including Dr Goodluck Jonathan, who he continues to praise to high heavens for the way and manner in which he accepted defeat in the last election.

“That singular action remains a feat that has earned the former President and Nigeria as a country befitting commendations all over the world, the latest coming from Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who visited a week ago.

“For the purpose of emphasis, the issue of fighting corruption by President Buhari is non negotiable.

“It is sine qua non to the overall reconstruction of the economy and social systems  which suffered  destruction and severe denigration under the last administration.

“President Buhari will not be deterred or blackmailed into retreat and surrender.”

Shehu said nobody in the PDP could accuse Buhari of undermining the economy when all they handed over to him was “a tottering economy hobbled by corruption and the absence of due process.”

Janeth J