* Immunity or no immunity
* Order EFCC to act
PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo further tightened the noose against mismanagement of public funds by charging the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to monitor statutory allocations to states and local governments with a view to identifying state governors and local government chairmen who misappropriate and embezzle public funds. Obasanjo also expressed disdain against constitutional immunity for governors against criminal prosecution, noting that public officers covered by such “escapist routes” are latching on to the immunity clause to engage in monumental corruption.
He however said that the stewardship of governors and other public officers shall be fully investigated after their exit from power. The president, who spoke yesterday at a national seminar on anti-graft, organised by the EFCC, said: “I have approved that EFCC monitor and trail movements of money allocated to all levels of government. It is a pity that we are not getting the same level of enthusiasm at the states. EFCC must cover the whole country at states and local levels. “Leaders at all levels of government should know that after your exit your stewardship shall be fully examined. Immunity or no immunity, your leadership shall be under microscopic investigation. Immunity and other escape routes shall no longer be in vogue; rather, the people shall question your role and achievements while in office. There is an increasing demand for all to be more transparent in leadership, especially in the way we manage our resources”, he said.
Obasanjo derided religious leaders for receiving financial donations from their flocks without questioning the source of such funds, insisting that his administration’s resolve to combat corruption in the country was no joke. “We are not joking about our war on corruption. No one would be excused. Nobody is a sacred cow. We must give our country a chance to grow, abandon the past and build new lines of national development”, he stressed. The president disclosed plans to reform the Nigerian Customs, Immigration Service, National Providence Fund, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, National Maritime Authority, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and all similar institutions he collectively referred to as “toll gate institutions” “They are toll gate institutions.
All dead woods and those that cannot be trained in these places would have to go. This is the only way to build quality and predictability”, the president stated. While advocating judicial reform for speedy adjudication of cases, he said: “A time limit must be set for discharge of a case. Justice delayed is justice denied”. On political reform, Obasanjo said that it is no longer going to be politics as usual and challenged Nigerians to rise against god-fatherism and what he called “commercial politics”. Godfatherism, he said, encourages corruption and called for a collaborative efforts between government, the civil societies and the media in combating corruption and exposing corrupt Nigerians.
According to him: “We have a godly duty to resist such situations. It is time to institute mechanism between government, civil societies and the media in the fight. We must expose them. Corrupt Nigerians are not from the space. The media has failed in this regard but it is capable of change and I hope it is capable of change. There should be vigorous attention on asset declaration. Any one undeclared should be confiscated as public property. The fight is to make unfriendly the world for corrupt people”. He said that Nigeria and Nigerians have lost so much to corruption, asserting that corruption in government entails high cost of development, undermines revenue generation capacity, discourages foreign investments, distorts confidence between the government and the governed, discourages creativity and communality. “Corruption undermines democratic institutions, creates an atmosphere of uncertainty and undermines the rule of law. Whichever way you look at it, corrupti! on is antithetical to national development. There can be no tolerable or manageable level of corruption. We should aim at a zero level tolerable corruption. Even 1% should not be tolerated in our society. It must not be condoned. No society can attain its blown potential if it groans under corruption”, the president said.
Describing his administration as the best in the comprehensive fight against corruption, he regretted that past military regimes allowed corruption to grow. “Our records are there to speak for us. At the federal level, the fight is total, I cannot say the same at other levels of government”. He appealed to the international community to return stolen wealth, pointing out that failure to do this encourages corruption in developing countries. Obasanjo argued: “A situation where countries are graded for corruption and the rich countries that encourage corruption are not graded is not fair. We must comply with the UN convention against corruption. Countries that fail to comply must be sanctioned by the international community. Corruption is a dangerous cancer that wants to mortgage our country”.
We must fight corruption at all levels. This government is the best in the fight against corruption. We have brought serving officers and even ministers to book more than any other regime”. The Chief Justice of Federation, Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais, in his remarks, corroborated Obasanjo’s stance against immunity guaranteed state governors and public officers in the 1999 constitution. He advocated constitutional amendment and rethink in the protection given to public office holders. “The fact remains that until this immunity of public office holders are removed, there is nothing the courts can do because it upholds the constitution”, he stated. Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, pledged the support of the National Assembly to the crusade against corruption but warned against violating constitutional provisions in the war. “We need to ensure that in containing corruption, we keep to the powers and tenets of the constitution.
How can we defeat criminals without violating human rights? The agency must respect the constitutional roles of other institutions”, he argued. Similarly, the former Prime Minister of Tanzania, Hon J.S Warioba, in his remarks, explained that the fight against corruption cannot be effective except there is the political will by the people and government to wage the war. “In order to fight corruption, there must be clear and total political commitment. Without the political commitment, you cannot be able to eliminate corruption”.
He said that it would be a fruitless venture for a government that came to power through a corrupt means to fight corruption, so also if the fight against corruption was induced by external pressure. He said institutions against corruption should be strengthened to shield them from undue influence, adding that Africa is watching Nigeria and “would emulate what you are doing. EFCC needs the support of people of Nigeria”.
President of Transparency International, Prof. Peter Eigine, who also spoke at the seminar, praised Obasanjo for his resolve to liberate Nigeria from the fangs of corruption, noting that the outcome of the fight would influence most countries positively. “If Nigeria cannot succeed, who then can succeed? On corruption index - it is true that Nigeria has a perception problem world wide. But today the international perception in Nigeria is better. A large dose of corruption has been imported into Nigeria by companies doing business in Nigeria. There is a responsibility to fight international corruption”, he said. Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, had thanked Obasanjo for his unflinching support and encouragement, declaring that EFCC would continue the fight and those who are still bent on committing crime should rethink as every effort would be done to unveil them.
