From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) presidential candidate in the 2011 election, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, yesterday described President Goodluck Jonathan as rubbishing the anti-corruption crusade in the country.
Ribadu who spoke in Lagos during a public lecture organised by the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni Association (UNILAG UMA) said corruption was the only reason President Barak Obama would not visit Nigeria during his ongoing visits to African countries.
Speaking on the theme, "Corruption and Justice in Nigeria," Ribadu said Jonathan was not building on the anti-corruption foundation of previous governments.
According to him, only a corrupt-free president who is also ready to subject his cronies to processes of the law, in case of infringement, can lead the crusade against corruption.
"So many corrupt people get away with their acts, largely because of their relationships with heads of institutions that ought to counter or expose their abuse of office.
"Some convicts are being granted state pardon, thereby rubbishing the whole effort at corruption. These practices have turned corruption into a sort of culturally or ethically accepted trend," Ribadu said.
He said the anti corruption war could be won if the nation's leaders show the way.
According to him, "corruption fight can be won if the leader shows the way, all the other people will follow but when the leader takes the other way, we are in a problem."
He said that when the EFCC was established in 2003, there were few high-profile cases of corruption that were successfully prosecuted.
"EFCC's interventions led us into various networks that have previously enjoyed impunity and notoriety, from the internet scams that dent the image of the country to abuse of office at private and public sectors.
"At the EFCC, we tracked the chains of people and organisations from public and private sectors who formed the corrupt Nigerian networks, despite the challenges; we risked our lives, survived the waves of dirty media campaigns and resisted temptations to have us compromised," he said.
Ribadu who spoke in Lagos during a public lecture organised by the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni Association (UNILAG UMA) said corruption was the only reason President Barak Obama would not visit Nigeria during his ongoing visits to African countries.
Speaking on the theme, "Corruption and Justice in Nigeria," Ribadu said Jonathan was not building on the anti-corruption foundation of previous governments.
According to him, only a corrupt-free president who is also ready to subject his cronies to processes of the law, in case of infringement, can lead the crusade against corruption.
"So many corrupt people get away with their acts, largely because of their relationships with heads of institutions that ought to counter or expose their abuse of office.
"Some convicts are being granted state pardon, thereby rubbishing the whole effort at corruption. These practices have turned corruption into a sort of culturally or ethically accepted trend," Ribadu said.
He said the anti corruption war could be won if the nation's leaders show the way.
According to him, "corruption fight can be won if the leader shows the way, all the other people will follow but when the leader takes the other way, we are in a problem."
He said that when the EFCC was established in 2003, there were few high-profile cases of corruption that were successfully prosecuted.
"EFCC's interventions led us into various networks that have previously enjoyed impunity and notoriety, from the internet scams that dent the image of the country to abuse of office at private and public sectors.
"At the EFCC, we tracked the chains of people and organisations from public and private sectors who formed the corrupt Nigerian networks, despite the challenges; we risked our lives, survived the waves of dirty media campaigns and resisted temptations to have us compromised," he said.
http://peoplesdailyng.com/jonathan-rubbishing-anti-corruption-fight-ribadu/
