The Federal Government on Monday declared Thursday, October 1 as public holiday to mark Nigeria’s 55th Independence celebration.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji, announce this on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Press, Yusuf Isiaka.
Magaji, who congratulated Nigerians both at home and abroad, also thanked them for their supports to President Muhammadu Buhari in his efforts towards building a peaceful, united and virile nation.
He further urged Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for peace and unity across the country.
Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has called on his people to join him in begging the federal government to pay the N29 Billion bailout fund he requested in full instead the N9.6 billion that had so far been released.
The governor, who spoke today in Ikogosi-Ekiti during the opening ceremony of a two-day retreat for commissioners, permanent secretaries and heads of agencies, said that out of the N5.6 billion applied for by the 16 local governments in the state, the federal government only approved N991 million.
“You people know that I don’t hide anything from you when allocations come. We applied for N29 billion from the bail-out fund. It is to cover the August and September 2014 salary arrears left by the Fayemi government, leave bonus, pensions, gratuities and others. But for reasons we don’t know yet, the federal government only approved N9.6 billion for salaries leaving other issues.
“The 16 local governments applied for N5.6 billion and we did all the necessary papers and presented them to the appropriate authorities, but only N991 million was approved. We were later told by the Central Bank of Nigeria that about 14 states had similar problem with the small amount approved for local governments.
“I have since written to them to rectify the situation and I hope they will do that quickly. It is only the federal government that can explain why they only approved one item, salary, out of the many items we presented to them on the workers’ issue.
“We have nothing to hide and people should appeal to the federal government to release the money in full. We know it is a loan that we will repay with nine per cent interest.”
The governor said that the state had experienced a sharp decline in monthly allocations in recent time.
“Last month we had a shortfall of N500 million and this month we have a shortfall of N600 million. The economy is dwindling and in bad shape and the federal government must do something about it urgently.” [myad]
Milestone: Start of the fifth month of Muhammadu Buhari’s “Change” era. The week commences with the Nigerian leader’s appearance at the 70th United Nations General Assembly. It will be his first as an elected leader, and he is expected to be received with respect. Buhari arrives at the UN at an important moment: the end of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that Nigeria made such a historic failure of, and the commencement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will replace—and hopefully correct—it. As one who has advocated that Buhari probe projects, not persons, I believe the MDGs are one of the most important projects to be investigated. That would be in the best interest of Nigeria, to set the stage for successful implementation of the SDGs, but it would also be in the best interest of Buhari, because it will help him strengthen our management practices. Tomorrow, he will speak at the UN General Debate, where he may make an impact no Nigerian leader has in a long time. When he speaks, he must remember that exactly one year from now, all things being well, he will need to be talking about achievement, not promise. Nonetheless, Buhari will return to Nigeria the following day, in time for Nigeria’s National Day two days later. Two significant things are guaranteed in the three days before October 1. The first is that he will submit to the National Assembly a list of his Ministerial nominees. The second is that he will have a chance to obtain from a veteran his first full glimpse into the quality of the existing anti-corruption terrain: the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is scheduled to submit its annual report to the National Assembly by Wednesday. That report should be at the top of President Buhari’s reading list this week, should it be submitted. The commission has usually avoided writing one. Rumors have it that when it was allegedly submitted during the steal-as- much-as-you-can years, it was in the form of an overview of a couple of pages. That manufactured draft would then be smuggled into the National Assembly, where it was kept out of sight by its complicit leadership. In other words, the EFCC knew the only battle it was doing with economic and financial crime in Nigeria was keeping a lid on it, a job that with the legislature’s help was laughably easy. The voters changed that hoodwinking last March when they hired Buhari, but the EFCC is however nothing if not adaptable, and it has taken advantage of Buhari’s recent arrival to run around the country beating the crime-fighter drum. Perhaps it really had been fighting corruption all these years but was simply not getting the credit. Perhaps it was “malicious” Nigerians such as this writer who were misrepresenting the work of the commission. This is the week we get to find out. First, does the EFCC submit a report? If it does, is it the comprehensive, authoritative one demanded by the EFCC law? That is: is the report reflective of the scale and character of Nigeria’s corruption malfeasance? Second, we will also presumably find out in what direction the National Assembly, to which the report is submitted, will be leaning. The Assembly, in its current form, has cooperated with, and therefore nurtured, the mess for 10 years. There are many fascinating dimensions to this week. One of them is that Bukola Saraki, the President of the Senate, is embroiled in his own battle at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), where he faces 13 serious counts of corruption. Will Saraki and the many Senators who support him show any interest in a substantive EFCC report? If so, what form would such “interest” take? Will they identify corruption as a menace to be fought, or will they see in it an opportunity to frustrate a dangerous enemy? I have previously identified the EFCC’s failure to publish the report as being a matter of life and death to its leadership. If the commission is an honest and patriotic agency, such a report will reveal it to be thorough, organized and structured in its work. If not, it will immediately unveil the commission as a criminal outfit that is dangerous to the national interest. A related dimension is that Ibrahim Lamorde, the current chairman of the commission, was recently accused by a petitioner of having misappropriated federal funds. Hopefully, the audit segment of the awaited report this week will set the records straight and restore Lamorde’s reputation. Still, Saraki’s Senate has commenced his investigation, and its failure for any reason to complete that process will not pass as proof of his innocence. The meaning of all this is that I was wrong when I said at the beginning that there are two significant issues for Nigeria and President Buhari in the next couple of days. There is just one because Buhari’s ministerial-nominee list and the EFCC report will wind up in the Senate, possibly the same day. The first has suffered—or benefitted from—Buhari’s search for Nigerians of integrity; the other concerns Nigeria’s top economic and financial criminals who are well-represented in the Upper House. Given the crisis in the National Assembly, Buhari may thus find himself in a hostage situation there, as his nominees become pawns in the hands of those forces eager to halt or frustrate his anti-corruption objectives. I urge the President to proceed with determination, beginning by ensuring the dissemination of the EFCC report or taking appropriate steps should it not be published. It is intended to be a public document. Remember: among many others, that report will clarify why so many anti-corruption agencies have left so many former governors and other top officials without being prosecuted for their crimes, some of them for 10 years or more. This is critical because the key—but in the final analysis meaningless—argument of the Bukola Saraki camp in his confrontation with the CCT (apart from his being clairvoyant and being rich because he is rich), is that he should have been challenged when he made his famous assets declaration in 2003. Reviewing the EFCC report, and thereafter making whatever important changes are necessary in the anti-corruption sub-sector, is fundamental to any long-term success in it. It will also unveil how the agencies in the industry have become adept at covering up for, and cooperating with, each other. If Buhari does not care, and does not understand these tendencies, he can consider his war against corruption traveling the same direction as his 1984 War Against Indiscipline: into the hands of the Ibrahim Babangidas. These agencies have nurtured corruption by nurturing impunity and granting respectability to the most odious forms of abuse. It is appropriate to inaugurate a true war against corruption by recognizing their institutional contributions, or punishing their betrayal. There is no other way forward. sonala.olumhense@gmail.com Twitter: @SonalaOlumhense. [myad]
National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has began the airlift of pilgrims with the first flight by Medview Aircraft leaving Jeddah and headed to Lagos this morning, with 221 Ogun state pilgrims. Information reaching Greenbarge Reporters indicated that the first flight, VL3205 departed Jeddah for Lagos at 10.20am. This is even as it was confirmed that no fewer than 56 Nigerians died in the last Thursday’s stampede at Jamrat in which over 750 pillgrims died. The report said that 61 others Nigerians sustained various degree of injuries in the stampede. Chairman of the NAHCON, Alhaji Abdullahi Muhtar who was reported to have made this known yesterday, after a meeting with Nigerian mission in Saudi Arabia said that the figure could be higher, because some Nigerians have not yet been accounted for. Reports indicated that the states who lost pilgrims are Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Jigawa, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun, Lagos and Yobe.
Among the prominent Nigerians who lost their lives in the stampede are: 1. Professor Tijjani Abubakar El-Miskin -Deputy Secretary General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) 2. Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf – former Editor of New Nigerian Newspaper 3. Justice Abubakar Abdulkadir Jega – Judge at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal 4. Alhaji Abbas Ibrahim – first class Emir of Zing in Taraba State (he was also the Taraba State Amirul Hajj) 5. The two wives of the Emir 6. Hafsat Shittu – Female pharmacist 7. Shiekh Liman Dan-Ata – Chief Imam of the Sultan Abubakar III Jumaa’at Mosque 8. Bello Gidan-Hamma – immediate Caretaker Chairman of Illela Local Government Area of Sokoto state, 9. His mother 10. His step-mother 11. His two wives. [myad]
Whatever Magic the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode put in place to ease the Traffic Gridlock in Apapa must be sustained. I spent less than 35 minutes from Shangisha to Lagoon Hospital, Apapa. I must also thank the Lagos Governor for saving the life of my bosom friend, who was involved in a fatal accident along Lekki – Epe Expressway last Sunday. The swift response of the Emergency Team with just a call to 112 and the mobile ambulance (which I now termed Hospital on the wheel) was key to my friend’s survival. He was treated free of charge! I recall that those mobile clinics were launched by the Lagos state Governor just two weeks earlier. I must also commend the effort of the medical team at the Lagos Trauma (Accident & Emmergency Centre) Ikeja Toll Gate, Near 7-Up. You guys are wonderful and I thank you all! Honestly, I can say that Lagos is working and Nigeria should learn from this example. Thank you Mr Governor and your wonderful team in the health care delivery sector!
Leader of the Shiite Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, has attributed the Jamrat stampede that led to the death of over 750 pilgrims to a Saudi Arabian prince, whose convoy allegedly caused it.
El-Zakzaky, who spoke yesterday in Zaria, Kaduna State, as part of activities to mark the Eid-el-Kabir said that the prince, whose name he did not mention, and others that were fingered in the tragedy should be sentenced to death.
The leader of the Shiite Islamic sect said the Saudi prince, whose convoy allegedly caused the stampede should not only be blamed for the death of innocent souls but be held culpable for the ugly incident.
He said that the management of the hajj was not the exclusive preserve of the Al-Saud royal family. [myad]
Former civilian governor of the old Kaduna state, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and leaders of other opposition political parties in the county have joined those who have asked Senator Bukola Saraki to step down as Senate President as a show of respect for his office. Balarabe Musa, who is also the national chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties said: “First of all, it depends on his conscience. If he knows that the allegations against him have anything bordering on genuineness and if he knows that he has not done anything above board, he should succumb to his conscience. “In honour of the institution he represents, it is therefore best for him to resign in order not to undermine the position of the judge. “If he knows that there are elements of truth in the allegations against him, he should not cost the government so much in court and thereby undermine the integrity of the bench; he should just resign. He is still young; he still has a lot of opportunities.” The Executive Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) also called for Saraki’s resignation, Mr. Debo Adeniran asked Saraki to resign for now, saying: “if he is found to be innocent, then Nigerians would have reason to apologise to him and his dignity will be restored. If he continues to hold on to power, he is likely to lose more dignity; nobody will respect him for doing so.” This is even as the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has described Nigeria as a peculiar place, where issues of probity, integrity and adherence to the rule of law would be questioned and politicians would continue to remain in public office “as if those things don’t matter.” According to the Executive Director of SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni, in saner societies, when public figures would have such burden on them, the first thing to do would be to get off the seat to clear their names by virtue of the rule of law and due process. “If people are saying he should resign, I also support that move because as the number three man in Nigeria, he has not set a very good example. It is not a question of ‘If I was not declared senate president, nobody will remember what I did 10 years ago.’ Why didn’t he declare his assets when he was governor? “If we are talking about equity, then we must be able to come to equity with clean hands. That is the way I see it. I have never been a subscriber to the idea of witch-hunting. Why can’t they just follow the law? The question of witch-hunting, to me, is neither here nor there. Did they comply with the law? I don’t believe in the idea that they have enemies somewhere. “Why shouldn’t we do what is needful and proper and we now start talking about witch-hunting? Matters of criminal infraction don’t have limitations. I have never seen a defence to an infraction of law where one would say, ‘Some people were not dealt with, so I cannot be dealt with.’” Meanwhile, the Convener of the Coalition of the Northern Politicians Academics, Professionals and Businessmen (CNPAPB), Dr. Junaid Mohammed has faulted those who called Saraki’s trial a witch-hunt, saying that the Senate President should resign. “I believe it will be good for the Senate and the country – for political responsibility – for Bukola Saraki to resign. Unless that is done, his political influence will interfere in the process.” The Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform (CODER) also said that even though Saraki remained innocent until the tribunal finds him guilty, it had become morally necessary for the Senate President to resign from office. Convener of CODER, Chief Ayo Opadokun, who was the General Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition and an ex-Secretary-General of the Afenifere, said it was not possible for all lawbreakers in the country to be tried at once. “They have to be picked one by one.” He said that although other lawmakers in the National Assembly might have committed similar offences on assets declaration, Saraki’s trial would serve as a good lesson to others. “Saraki’s trial has more fundamental dimension because of the fact that someone crookedly emerged as leader of the Nigerian legislature and he has been charged for false declaration (of assets), which is a criminal offence and which carries significant punishment fashioned by the Nigerian criminal law system. “He should resign to face the charges against him. He should have resigned long ago.” [myad]
Some Kenya Muslim organizations have expressed frustrations in extracting information about the whereabouts of their kin who are still in Saudi Arabia and how they are faring against the background of the last Thursday’s stampede in Mina, during which over 750 pilgrims, among them about six Kenyans were killed while performing one of the last ritual of the pilgrimage. The Supreme Council for Kenya Muslims (Supkem), in a statement today, asked all travel agents who handled Kenyan pilgrims to this year’s Hajj to establish where their clients were. The Supkem Secretary General, Adan Wachu disclosed that there were over 40 travel agents who processed Kenya’s pilgrims to this year’s Hajj and asked them to carry out a head count to ascertain the whereabouts of the pilgrims. ”We are not getting free flow of information following the two subsequent incidences which occurred as the over 2 million Muslim pilgrims gathered for the Hajj in the Saudi Kingdom.” He said SUPKEM is in touch with the Head of the Kenyan Hajj Mission, Shariff Hussein for the latest information of Kenyans killed and missing or unaccounted for. Even as Wachu made the pronouncements, a cross section of Muslim leaders called for faster and conclusive investigations into the incident which has claimed the largest number of pilgrims for the 25 years. Sheikh Mohdhar Khitamy of Supkem chairman Coast branch said that Kenya Muslim organisations will push for a thorough examination of the whole pilgrimage exercise once the entire Kenyan Hajj delegation is back. ”We are anxious to know what actually befell our people who went for Hajj and will be keen to identify any gaps and challenges that need to be rectified so as to have an incident free Hajj next year.” He said that they have not been able to get daily updates on the whereabouts of Kenyan pilgrims save for media and social media reports. On Friday, several Tanzanian newspapers reported that at least two pilgrims listed among Tanzanians killed in the Thursday stampede were actually Kenyans after travelling to Saudi Arabia from Tanzania with facilitation of Tanzanian travel agencies. Kenya Muslim National Advisory Council (Kemnac) chairman, Sheikh Juma Ngao urged Muslims not to fear going to Hajj next year in spite of this year’s tragedy. “We are all shocked at the extent of death and destruction leading to injuries and pray that Allah grant his mercies to those who perished and wish the injured quick recovery,” Ngao said. He appealed to Saudi authorities to ensure that they expand facilities which pilgrims use in order to accommodate the ever growing number of Muslims from around the globe seeking to take part in the annual pilgrim. The Kenyan death toll from Thursday’s pilgrims stampede in the Saudi Arabian city of Mina climbed to six on Saturday, according to a representative of Kenya’s delegation of pilgrims in the Middle East nation. Five have been identified and one of them was a chief in Garissa County but there is still confusion over the dead and missing due to poor communication from Saudi Arabia and conflicting figures from the ministry of Foreign Affairs and Muslim organisations. Yesterday, the Foreign Affairs ministry said five Kenyan pilgrims had been confirmed dead by Saturday. The death toll according to Supreme Council for Kenya Muslims (Supkem) Organising Secretary, Shariff Hussein rose to six at the start of the weekend after the confirmation of deaths not made in the first count. [myad]
Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have asked the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, resign to pending the determination of his case at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The unions, whose members spoke across the country, said although Saraki is still on trial and has not been found guilty of the allegations against him, it is morally right for him to vacate his office as Senate President to defend himself. The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation is prosecuting Saraki for alleged false declaration of his assets at the Code of Conduct Bureau. Saraki had, last Tuesday, stepped into the dock at the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja, where he was arraigned for false assets declaration charges. He pleaded not guilty to all the 13 charges slammed on him by the CCB and his trial has been scheduled to hold on October 21, 22 and 23. Leaders of the NLC and the TUC, who spoke to news men, said that it had become necessary for Saraki to step aside from Senate presidency to answer the charges preferred against him. Organised labour had on, September 10, 2015, held nationwide protests against corruption, while seeking death penalty for public treasury looters. The Labour unions insisted that it is only by killing looters that the anti-corruption crusade being championed by President Muhammadu Buhari could succeed. President of the TUC, Mr. Bobboi Bala, said that Saraki has a moral burden to resign, adding: “resignation is a moral burden on people. But if somebody feels that he will carry his cross, go to the courts and try to exonerate himself, he should be given the opportunity. But it would be too bad if at the end of the day, he is found guilty. It does not speak well of public office holders. “In other climes, as soon as such things happen, people tender their letters of resignation. Obviously, it is a moral burden on him. We hope all politicians will begin to know that no matter how highly placed they are, one day, they will definitely have to account for their stewardship.” Also the Ogun state Chairman of TUC, Mr. Olubunmi Fajobi, said that if it were in a civilised clime, the Senate President would have stepped aside to allow for free and fair trial. “As it were, the Senate President is sitting on a delicate seat. If it were a civilised society, he would have stepped aside to allow for a fair trial, so that he won’t allow his official position to influence the decision of the tribunal.” Also, the Ekiti State Chairman of the NLC, Mr. Raymond Adesanmi, advised Saraki to step down from office, adding that he ought to have resigned since. “My advice for him would be to step down as the Senate President to answer the charges against him. If at the end of the day he is not found guilty, he could return to his position.” Adesanmi’s TUC counterpart in Ekiti, Mr. Adesoye Adedayo, corroborated him and said: “although the case against him has political undertone, I would advise him to resign to prove his innocence.” In Cross River State, the Chairman of the TUC, Mr. Clarkson Otu, who noted that labour unions had yet to meet to take a definite position on Saraki’s trial, said the Senate President should resign his position. “This whole thing is politics. The said irregularities allegedly discovered in Sariki’s assets declaration are issues before the CCT, but having got himself involved in this controversy, he should quit as senate president based on moral grounds. “If he does not quit, he will keep battling to retain that position. This is my personal view and not that of the TUC.” The factional Chairman of the NLC in Delta State, Mr. Williams Akporeha, the state chapter of the union was in support of Saraki’s resignation. “We are saying that he should step aside because he is facing trial that borders on allegations of fraud and misinformation. He should resign on a clean slate instead of his continued stay in office in shameless aberration.” This is even as Chairman of the TUC in Delta state, Mr. Myke Arinze, also asked Senator Saraki to resign and set the record straight “because he cannot be facing trial and be dictating as Senate President.” [myad]
Pope Francis has said that all those who are responsible for the sexual abuse of youth by clergy will be held accountable, saying: “God weeps for sexual abuse of children.”
Pope Francis, who spoke today during a meeting with bishops in Philadelphia, the United States of America, vowed that he would ensure that youth are protected.
“The people who had the responsibility to take care of these tender ones violated that trust and caused them great pain.”
Earlier today, the Pope had met with victims of clergy sexual abuse, Bishop Edward Burns said via his Twitter account.
“I have heard in my heart these stories of suffering of those youth that were sexually abused, and it continues to be on my mind,” Francis told the bishops.
“Those who have survived this abuse have become true heralds of mercy. Humbly we owe each of them our gratitude for their great value, as they have had to suffer terrible abuse, sexual abuse of minors,” he said. [myad]
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And Now The EFCC Report, By Sonala Olumhense
Milestone: Start of the fifth month of Muhammadu Buhari’s “Change” era.
The week commences with the Nigerian leader’s appearance at the 70th United Nations General Assembly. It will be his first as an elected leader, and he is expected to be received with respect.
Buhari arrives at the UN at an important moment: the end of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that Nigeria made such a historic failure of, and the commencement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will replace—and hopefully correct—it.
As one who has advocated that Buhari probe projects, not persons, I believe the MDGs are one of the most important projects to be investigated. That would be in the best interest of Nigeria, to set the stage for successful implementation of the SDGs, but it would also be in the best interest of Buhari, because it will help him strengthen our management practices.
Tomorrow, he will speak at the UN General Debate, where he may make an impact no Nigerian leader has in a long time. When he speaks, he must remember that exactly one year from now, all things being well, he will need to be talking about achievement, not promise.
Nonetheless, Buhari will return to Nigeria the following day, in time for Nigeria’s National Day two days later.
Two significant things are guaranteed in the three days before October 1. The first is that he will submit to the National Assembly a list of his Ministerial nominees.
The second is that he will have a chance to obtain from a veteran his first full glimpse into the quality of the existing anti-corruption terrain: the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is scheduled to submit its annual report to the National Assembly by Wednesday.
That report should be at the top of President Buhari’s reading list this week, should it be submitted. The commission has usually avoided writing one. Rumors have it that when it was allegedly submitted during the steal-as- much-as-you-can years, it was in the form of an overview of a couple of pages.
That manufactured draft would then be smuggled into the National Assembly, where it was kept out of sight by its complicit leadership.
In other words, the EFCC knew the only battle it was doing with economic and financial crime in Nigeria was keeping a lid on it, a job that with the legislature’s help was laughably easy.
The voters changed that hoodwinking last March when they hired Buhari, but the EFCC is however nothing if not adaptable, and it has taken advantage of Buhari’s recent arrival to run around the country beating the crime-fighter drum.
Perhaps it really had been fighting corruption all these years but was simply not getting the credit. Perhaps it was “malicious” Nigerians such as this writer who were
misrepresenting the work of the commission. This is the week we get to find out.
First, does the EFCC submit a report? If it does, is it the comprehensive, authoritative one demanded by the EFCC law? That is: is the report reflective of the scale and
character of Nigeria’s corruption malfeasance?
Second, we will also presumably find out in what direction the National Assembly, to which the report is submitted, will be leaning. The Assembly, in its current form, has cooperated with, and therefore nurtured, the mess for 10 years.
There are many fascinating dimensions to this week. One of them is that Bukola Saraki, the President of the Senate, is embroiled in his own battle at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), where he faces 13 serious counts of corruption.
Will Saraki and the many Senators who support him show any interest in a substantive EFCC report? If so, what form would such “interest” take? Will they identify corruption as a menace to be fought, or will they see in it an opportunity to frustrate a dangerous enemy?
I have previously identified the EFCC’s failure to publish the report as being a matter of life and death to its leadership. If the commission is an honest and patriotic agency, such a report will reveal it to be thorough, organized and structured in its work. If not, it will immediately unveil the commission as a criminal outfit that is dangerous to the national interest.
A related dimension is that Ibrahim Lamorde, the current chairman of the commission, was recently accused by a petitioner of having misappropriated federal funds.
Hopefully, the audit segment of the awaited report this week will set the records straight and restore Lamorde’s reputation.
Still, Saraki’s Senate has commenced his investigation, and its failure for any reason to complete that process will not pass as proof of his innocence.
The meaning of all this is that I was wrong when I said at the beginning that there are two significant issues for Nigeria and President Buhari in the next couple of days.
There is just one because Buhari’s ministerial-nominee list and the EFCC report will wind up in the Senate, possibly the same day. The first has suffered—or benefitted from—Buhari’s search for Nigerians of integrity; the other concerns Nigeria’s top economic and financial criminals
who are well-represented in the Upper House.
Given the crisis in the National Assembly, Buhari may thus find himself in a hostage situation there, as his nominees become pawns in the hands of those forces eager to halt or frustrate his anti-corruption objectives.
I urge the President to proceed with determination, beginning by ensuring the dissemination of the EFCC report or taking appropriate steps should it not be published. It is intended to be a public document. Remember: among many others, that report will clarify why so many anti-corruption agencies have left so many former governors and other top officials without being prosecuted for their crimes, some of them for 10 years or more.
This is critical because the key—but in the final analysis meaningless—argument of the Bukola Saraki camp in his confrontation with the CCT (apart from his being clairvoyant and being rich because he is rich), is that he should have been challenged when he made his famous assets
declaration in 2003.
Reviewing the EFCC report, and thereafter making whatever important changes are necessary in the anti-corruption sub-sector, is fundamental to any long-term success in it.
It will also unveil how the agencies in the industry have become adept at covering up for, and cooperating with, each other. If Buhari does not care, and does not understand these tendencies, he can consider his war against corruption traveling the same direction as his 1984 War
Against Indiscipline: into the hands of the Ibrahim Babangidas.
These agencies have nurtured corruption by nurturing impunity and granting respectability to the most odious forms of abuse. It is appropriate to inaugurate a true war against corruption by recognizing their institutional contributions, or punishing their betrayal.
There is no other way forward.
sonala.olumhense@gmail.com
Twitter: @SonalaOlumhense. [myad]