|
Nuhu Ribadu: When Silence Is Golden By Jide Ayobolu At every sight opportunity the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) boss, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is wont on talking to the press, explaining the numerous activities of the EFCC. However, most often than not he is always speaking from both side of his mouth, trying unconvincingly to sell spurious claims to the public. It would be recalled that the EFCC and its counterpart ICPC were established at the inception of this administration as a way of checkmating the ubiquitous spate of corruption. In fact, the government was compelled to set up the bodies, as the international comity treated Nigeria as a leper, and indeed a pariah country. It was with high hopes that Nigerians received the EFCC and its chairman, to his end he was accorded due respect and regards by all and sundry. The EFCC was held in high esteem as it was reckoned that it would help to sanitize the country and rid of corruption. However since 1999 corruption in the country has been on the steady rise. In spite of the much touted campaign against corruption by President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration since 1999, a survey, Report of Crime and Victimization in the country has revealed that 64.1 per cent of Nigeria’s believe that the trend of corruption since 1999 has actually increased. Apart from this the EFCC today is seen as a tool in the hands of the powers that be in the corridors of power to unleash a reign of terror on perceived political enemies to deal decisively with the opposition because of political vendetta to score a political point. Those who are in the opposition but are corrupt are summarily dealt with, while those who are thorough corrupt but are in the good books of those in power are allowed to continue to loot left, right and center as well as enjoy their loot. For instance, the trail of the former IGP Tafa Balogun is a case in point, for a public servant that stole billions of naira, to be sentenced to only a six month jail term. This is not only a travesty of justice, it is indeed a mockery of the judicial process and the rule of law as well as encouragement to other public officers to continue to pilfer and misappropriate public funds that belongs to the Nigerian people. The man is now out, the celebrated trail is over and he is enjoying his loot, how else can the government thank him for helping it rig the 2003 elections. Furthermore, there is the much talked about Pius Okigbo report which indicted former military President Ibrahim Babaginda of misappropriating $12.4 billion first gulf-war wind-fall. Yet, the EFCC in its wisdom has not deemed it fit to open investigation into the report, study it and bring the culprit to book according to the letter and spirit of the law. Now, this same character now wants to stage a comeback to rule this country after about eight year of continuous, unstoppable, and vicious plundering of the wealth of the nation. Is this how to truly fight corruption? Is it true that there are really no untouchables in the country? It is also germane to ask Ribadu’s EFCC that, what happened to those involved in the National Identity card scam? What happened to Mr Makunjuola, the former Permanent Secretary ministry of defense that indicted for misappropriating public funds? What happened during the N55million Bribe-for-Budget scandal? N320billion was given to Tony Anenih between 1999 and 2003 yet the roads which he was to repair are in a deplorable state of disrepair. So why has the monies gone? What about the N84billion fraud in NPA? What about the Israeli arms deal scandal in the presidency? What about the financial scandal rocking the purchase of the presidential jet? What about the payment of an illegal one per cent commission paid to some unknown persons in connection with the so-called foreign debt cancellation? What is the outcome of the investigations of the allegation against the president by the executive governor of Abia State Chief Orji Uzor Kalu? What about the presidential library project? What has the EFCCdone about the three illegal accounts opened and operated by the NNPC and the president? Is this not the same government that sacked an auditor-general of the federation for raising some indicting audit queries against the government? Is this the way to fight corruption? The most annoying thing is that Ribadu wants us to believe that he his doing a yeoman’s job. He talks flippantly every now and then, defending the government, of course, I can understand his plight, and he who pays the piper dictates the tune. He has more or less become the mouth-piece of the government. My advice to him is that actions speaks louder than words, he should sit up and do his job properly instead of developing verbal diarrhea. For instance, how on earth, can Ribadu say that the EFCC don’t have evidence that money changed hands during the third term agenda saga? Of course money changed hands, so the issues are who gave out the monies? And who are the people that collected them? These are the probing questions Nigerians and the international community want to know, and not some noise-making and un-necessary grandstanding. Dishonesty, thievery and peculation pervade the public sector in Nigeria. Thus, Nigeria is a truculent African tragedy. Corruption has become so pervasive that navigating the most basic government service requires gratification, Customs require a bribe in Nigeria to render any service, the Police collects N20, N50, N100, N200, N500 and N1000 on our highways with reckless abandon and nobody is doing anything about it. Our politics has been highly monetized and commercialized that politicians spend so much money to get into public office and when they get to power they become “political entrepreneurs”. And, their source of wealth is never investigated. For instance, in the INEC form the president submitted in 1999, he said he had over 1000 landed properties, the question is, where did the money to acquire such investment come from? Is it through the instrumentality of the land use Act of 1976? Corruption has several deleterious effects on economic development, it aggravates the budget deficit problems; corruption leads to economic contraction and collapse; corruption damages the international reputation of the country and the self image of her people. What encourages corruption in our clime are, pervasive state controls and regulations, concentration of economic and political power in the hands of few individuals, the institutionalization of undemocratic systems of governance, muzzling of the press to expose corruption, perversion of the judicial system and value systems that enhances corruption. And, the best way to deal with it is by punishing the corrupt for all to see that crime does not pay with any exception, until this is done, silence on the part of Ribadu is what is required. This is even more so that he has become a meddlesome interloper in the murky terrain of politics in Nigeria. For instance, he lacks the constitutional power to screen candidates for elections and this he has mouthed severally he will do. There is more to the job he has been asked to do than making noise all over the place, if indeed his life is threaten then he should look inwards to those who gave him the assignment, perhaps he has known too much about their shady deals. Again, it is very important to ask Ribadu what has happened to all the Abacha loot recovered from Switzerland? The RMAFC has accused the NNPC of inability to account for N310billion, what has the EFCC done? Nigeria is a very sophisticated society and nobody can hoodwink or bamboozle the people into believing what is not. Why would a person that is occupying such a sensitive post be escorting the newly designated minister of education and minister of foreign affairs respectively to their offices? Why is he always attending social functions of the president and the president’s friend? So, can he then objectively carryout his duties and responsibilities dispassionately? This is certainly how not to fight corruption.
By Abuja, Nigeria.
|