TheCable

President Mohammadu Buhari is to sign an executive order on promoting transparency and efficiency, so as to create an enabling business environment ‎in Nigeria.

Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation and minister ‎of justice, disclosed this in Kaduna on Monday at a retreat with civil society organisations (CSOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on Open Governance Partnership (OGP).

‎According to Malami, this will mandate all ministries, agencies and departments (MDAs) to adopt openness in contracting procedures and publishing of contracts.

He said it was the desire of government to continue providing an enabling environment to attract foreign investors in order to diversify the economy, considering the dwindling economy.

Malami said further that the president had made it clear that Nigeria is open to business, promising investors that illicit finance would have no hiding place in the country.

“In the coming weeks, ‎the president will sign and executive order for the creation of an enabling business environment in Nigeria that will mandate all MDAs to adopt openness in contracting and procedures and publishing contracts,” he said.

“Corruption remains one of the biggest impediments to national development; the social and economic problems being faced in Nigeria is traceable to corruption.”

Malami recalled that at an international anti-corruption summit in the United Kingdom in May, Buhari had affirmed his commitment to strengthening anti-corruption reforms in Nigeria.

He said that following this commitment, the federal government ‎sought to deepen institutional and policy reforms, which led to Nigeria joining the OGP in July.

“Let me inform you that as a government, we shall remain focused, bold and result oriented in delivering on the promises President Buhari made to provide good governance to the Nigerian people and deliver on the commitments made during the anti-corruption summit in London early this year,” Malami added.