Ogun State And The Ribadu Report
By
Tayo
Agunbiade
Admittedly, the past
couple of weeks have been very interesting in the political life of the
nation as well as in the lives of Nigerians. For one, the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has kept the nation agog with
revelations about some of the staggering levels of financial crimes being
committed wholesale in some of the State-run tills. Indeed in a few cases,
State Governments have literally been caught with their hands in the
cookie jar. Listening to the EFCC Czar, Nuhu Ribadu give his report to
the Senate, albeit with a spot of showmanship, leaves one in no doubt that
he is keen to weed out any corrupt public officers from our midst and let
the nation’s anti-corruption stance shine through to the outside world.
Ribadu gave a clear
distinction between an allegation and an investigation. He stated
unequivocally that an allegation does not in any way mean an established
case of guilt. And emphasised that if an allegation is made, his
constitutionally - given mandate permits him to conduct an investigation
before any conclusions are drawn. Unfortunately the following day
Nigerians were presented with the most sensational stories from some
quarters of the press. Indeed it may be fair to say that some of the press
coverage was not a true reflection of the Ribadu Report. The judicial
mantra which states that one is innocent until proven guilty was severely
mangled as some newspapers went to town with headlines screaming about the
wholesale indictment of 31 State Governors. Whereas the Report stated that
only 15 Governors were indicted and the rest were under investigation.
Indeed it was a whole mishmash of misinterpretation of the facts as stated
by Ribadu and to say the least, very confusing.
100%Ogun
Going back to the Report
which was recorded live on television, Ribadu confirmed that the
Commission had very recently received a petition against
Governor
While it has been stated
that Ribadu was carrying out his mandate like a patriotic Nigerian to rid
his country of the cancer of corruption that prevents ordinary Nigerians
in some parts of the country having access to even the most basic
amenities of water, roads, electricity etc, he must strenuously avoid
judgemental statements even upon those whom the Commission’s
investigations have indicted.
The conduct of
Senator
However, for the
avoidance of any further doubt about the position of
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The senator’s actions
revealed one of two things. Perhaps he was not paying full attention to
this matter of national importance and so did not realise that the list of
States that were under indictment has already been announced. It’s not
unusual to see lawmakers doze off during lengthy proceedings. This may be
a possibility. Keen watchers of Prime Minister’s Question time (PMQ),
which is conducted in the British Parliament, may recall MPs occasionally
nod off.
The question may have
derived from the inability to draw a clear line of distinction between an
allegation and an outright declaration of guilt. The Senator’s ambition to
govern
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Political debates are
also a part of the democratic set-up. What the public would like to see
are political discourses that would enhance the political growth of our
nation. We are yet to be served with any manifestoes that offer Nigerians
alternatives and fire up our imaginations. Rather we are daily bombarded
with flaky petitions, immature and flat statements that have absolutely no
value for a developing nation like
Taking it a step further,
it can be said that the Senator’s question is capable of projecting the
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as a no-go area for would-be investors. Such acts could harm the indigenes
of the State one way or another. The importance of investment to a State
and the development of its people cannot be over-emphasised. Just last
week it was reported that the rate of armed robbery in
is frightening investors away. These days’ investors are not too keen to
part with their resources for the flimsiest of reasons. Any hint of
anything untoward is a huge turn off. One would have thought that rather
than in what appears to be an eagerness to put one’s State of origin in
the dock, one would fight tooth and nail to showcase it as a model of
probity and accountability.
A few weeks back,
Governor of Ogun State,
Gbenga
threw himself open for
any questions from any quarters of the society in regards to any issue.
This is in addition to the positive remarks of the Independent Corrupt
Practices Commission (ICPC) Chairman, when he visited the State recently.
Surely these must count for something and not be dismissed with the wave
of the hand for whatever reason. EFFCC must be allowed to do its job
unaided by political machinations or media bias in any guise.
Mr
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