Before the extension of the tenure
of the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,
Mal. Nuhu Ribadu, there were debates on the end of his tenure: whether
it is before or after the April elections or even next year. A write-up
was thought of but a search even on the internet could not yield a clear
result until the Chairman himself disclosed that his tenure would end on
April 8, 2007 after 4 years in office, though the appointment was
renewable. Expectedly, President Olusegun Obasanjo extended the tenure.
As Ribadu’s tenure came to its
tail end thoughts such as who will be bold and courageous enough to fit
into his shoes as to indict and prosecute the mighty and powerful who
embezzle public funds for personal aggrandisement emanated. So many
other questions that criss-crossed minds begged for answers. If Ribadu
had left office, will some of those convicted corrupt personalities as a
result of his investigations and prosecutions be granted amnesty? Will
the next EFCC chairperson have had the gumption to investigate and bring
to book the present extremely powerful untouchable(s) touted by the
media? Would the President too have been investigated over the
Presidential library project and the shares in Transcorp? If Ribadu was
not returned, will the EFCC have remained relevant in the fight against
corruption in Nigeria ? If he had relinquished office at this young age,
will he have resigned from the Nigerian Police as well or will he have
been assigned other jobs? How will Nigerians have reacted to his exit if
he was not returned – happy, sad, mixed feelings? Now that he had been
returned, what will happen to those indicted but immune public officers
whom he constantly vowed will not escape his net after the elections?
Will corrupt politicians’ names continue to be published even after
election periods? Will EFCC be continued to be perceived afterwards as a
Gestapo organization in the next administration? Will Nigeria ’s
battered image receive more leverage or will she go further down the
drain as a more corrupt nation?
Questions like the ones raised
leave an air of uncertainty without definite answers. A good many
Nigerians agree that the advent of the EFCC and the subsequent
appointment of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, son of a former minister, was a
welcome development. During his first tenure as the boss at the
anti-corruption agency, influential Nigerians: businessmen, politicians,
public office holders, political appointees and even legal practitioners
were caught in his drag-net. We could easily remember the pitiable ends
of former IG of Police, ex-governor of Bayelsa State and formerly
celebrated 419ners, who were all thought to be sacred cows and
untouchables. This sent scary warning signals to public office holders
so that today election and campaign financing was somewhat becoming
modest and not without caution as aspirants are mindful of the eagle
eyes of the EFCC. Civil Servants are not also left out in the list of
scared people as a good number of them now adhere to due process in
handling public funds. Though low salaries promote corruption because
majority of them live below their income. The impact of Ribadu’s work at
the EFCC was complemented by that of the ICPC thought by many to be a
toothless bulldog.
The name Ribadu became synonymous
with EFCC as the commission helped in sanitizing the polity and the
economy. However many observers became wary of the role of Ribadu in the
altercations with opposition groups, especially those in the bad book of
the Presidency and the ruling party, PDP. The ways and manner EFCC
coaxed legislative houses to impeach their governors gave reason for the
public to be skeptical about its genuineness.
The accusation of selectivity in
its pronouncements and actions, especially with the submission of
allegedly indicted individuals to INEC for disqualification, was widely
condemned which compelled the Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani to
warn EFCC to maintain its credibility when he said, “It will be
disastrous for
Nigeria if anything is done that will erode the credibility of
EFCC…it will set us back from the good image (we’ve earned) over the
years”. This concern influenced the decision of the amendment of EFCC
Act to make it autonomous and independent from interference from the
Executive arm of government.
Some commentators say that EFCC
under Ribadu should be applauded and not vilified despite the hate list
which caused rancour in the polity. They say that the errors in the list
are not the handiwork of Nuhu and his commission but of someone else
somewhere. Nigerians should look at the patriotic zeal with which Nuhu
had worked to numb the dirty fingers that dug into the tills and excuse
his inability to discourage the President from meddling with his work.
We should not be in a haste to forget the dogged effort to clean the bad
and negative image given the country and her citizens as a result of the
unscrupulous works of 419ers using among other means the internet. The
fight was with such a determined vigor that the popular Oluwole
market in Lagos Island was closed down.
Ribadu’s opposition to the
amendment of the EFCC Act is understandable since he is part and parcel
of the government that put him in office. One only hopes he has an
opportunity to pour out his real mind on the need to make the EFCC truly
independent from the Presidency which it is speculated, has been choking
him with witch-hunting tasks. Poor Ribadu, caught between the ethics of
his job and the dictates of his employers.
As he leaves, let us not forget
that the task of curbing corruption is a collective one for all
stakeholders and not the exclusive responsibility of government
agencies. The reviewed remuneration of federal public servants tends to
favour only the public office holders at the expense of civil servants
as the salary restructure does not meet the existing economic indices
and as such does not make for decent standard of living. If corruption
must be tackled and EFCC continue to maintain its credibility, the
conduct of the staff of the commission must be in accordance with public
interest. There should be observance to the right to fair hearing and
the staff must be ready to do diligent investigations before blowing the
whistle on the suspects. They should be careful not to unnecessarily
victimize innocent citizens especially in seasons of petitions writing
(such as election times) against perceived enemies.
Personally, I consider Nuhu a
person of proven integrity and one that works with diligence whose life
may be threatened because of the nature of his assignment which is a
source of discomfort to nefarious individuals. I group him in the rank
of other Nigerians who had served or are serving this great nation
selflessly. These are people who are constantly in the eyes of observers
and in the mouth of critics. It was thought that whether Ribadu remained
or another person was brought in, the agency should not be run as a
one-man-squad as such could erode institutional capacity of governance.
Mal Nuhu Ribadu was born in
November, 1960. He graduated from the Nigerian Law School and was
called to the bar in 1984, before joining the
Nigeria Police, where he rose to become Head of the Legal and
Prosecution Department, Police Headquarters,
Abuja . His 18-year service in the
Nigeria Police culminated in his appointment as the pioneer
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by
President Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2003. Ribadu has been a recipient of
several awards, as a police officer, prosecutor and Chairman, EFCC.
Marshall Ifeanyi
ifeanyimarshallc@yahoo.com, 08034359625
Marshall
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