|
Ribadu Travail and Anti-Corruption War By Peluola Adewale The Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) unequivocally condemns the crude and undemocric action of the security operatives in forcing out Malam Nuhu Ribadu from the graduation ceremony at NIPSS after successfully completing his study. The DSM has followed the travail of the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Malam Nuhu Ribadu since the inauguration of the anti-poor President Yar’ Adua government with interest. More than other things, the attacks on democratic rights of Ribadu have further underscored the fact that the storied rule of law mantra of Yar’Adua government is a ruse. The plight of Ribadu just like the attack on media as exemplified by the travail of the Channels TV and Leadership newspaper shows that Yar’adua government is vindictive and vengeful like its predecessor. However, while his maltreatment by Yar’Adua government is reprehensible and barbaric, the point must be struck that Malam Nuhu Ribadu is a victim of a system of witch-hunt and flagrant disregard of democratic rights and rule of law which he helped build during the last administration of former President Obasanjo as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Instead of pursuing the war against corruption with full sincerity, he became a tool of former President Obasanjo in witch- hunting his perceived political opponents and often without regard to democratic rights and rule of law. While some high-profile corrupt political office holders were arrested by the EFCC under Malam Nuhu Ribadu, they were usually those whom former President Obasanjo wanted out of his way in his bid to perpetuate himself in power through his botched third term bid or those used to create a false impression of fight against corruption. That was why in most cases after the momentary media razzmatazz, nothing fundamental was heard or done again on those high profile cases. Political loyalty to Obasanjo granted automatic immunity against probe or prosecution by the EFCC and for wanton looting of the treasury (Bode George and NPA is just an example). The current astonishing revelations of the litany of corrupt practices that occurred under former President Obasanjo like the $16 billion power, renovation of health sector contract, Aviation, NPA and allocation of oil block scams all expose the insincerity of the corruption war waged by Malam Nuhu Ribadu throughout the period he was the EFCC Chairman. There were several calls on Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to institute a comprehensive probe of the Obasanjo regime if he was really sincere about the anti-corruption war and ensure that all monies recovered were used judiciously to improve the conditions of infrastructures and living standards of the masses. It was easier for camel to pass through needle eye than Ribadu investigating Obasanjo or anybody Obasanjo anointed. It is instructive to note that Malam Nuhu Ribadu confirmed popular suspicion when at a program organised by the Law Faculty of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife in 2007, he had responded to a similar request from students that he could not probe Obasanjo because he was his boss! He was promptly sent running from the campus by the mass of students. Till today, those student leaders who led their fellow colleagues to expose him were soon suspended and expelled and part of the crimes the University said they committed was ‘harassment of Malam Nuhu Ribadu’. In the run up to the general elections, he became a willing tool in the hands of the regime in probing some members of the opposition parties who admittedly were involved in brazen corruption and looting of the treasury at all levels. However, the aim of these probes were not to tackle corruption but to prevent them from contesting in order to eliminate potential threat to the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s hold on power. At the end of the day, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) massively rigged the elections at all levels while nothing has since been heard about any of the hasty probes put up by the EFCC in the run up to the elections. Now that many of the then political opponents of the PDP are getting reconciled with the party in the post-2007 election era, it is more unlikely that anything will come out of such probes. Specifically, Nuhu Ribadu contributed immensely to making the 2007 elections a charade and to the waste of taxpayers’ money on ballot reprint and re-election as most elections that were cancelled were as a result of illegal disqualification of candidates by the EFCC/INEC. His travail today is similar to that of former Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun who helped the PDP to rig the 2003 general elections and yet was one of the first to be dragged to court on corruption charges by the Obasanjo administration all in a bid to eliminate potential opposition within the bureaucracy. After many theatrics in the media, the man that stole N17bn and amassed choice property from public fund was sentenced to 6-month jail term, which he spent in the comfort of National Medical Centre, Abuja. While the fight against corruption is desirable, the fact is that the undemocratic anti-corruption agencies like the EFCC, ICPC etc cannot eliminate corruption. In so far as they are constituted by an anti-poor government of looters and exploiters, they will end up doing the bidding of the anti-poor government and corrupt politicians. To really start to eliminate corruption, the mass of poor working people will have to be organized in democratic committees at local, state and national levels to recover funds looted by past administrations as well as monitor the allocation and spending of resources at all levels of governance with the power to sanction erring political office holders. Equally, the huge inequality which exists between the incomes of political office holders and ordinary working people must be eliminated by placing all political office holders on a wage not more than that of skilled workers. Most importantly, it is capitalism, being a system that prioritizes profit over people’s needs, that breeds corruption. Therefore, only a working people’s government with bold socialist programs can completely eradicate corruption by destroying its sources (capitalism) through the nationalization of the economy under the democratic control and management of workers and poor masses.
Peluola Adewale Democratic Socialist Movement
|