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Written by Ibn-Mohammed Zakari, Published May 20, 2008
EFCC is one organization that has over the years assumed a larger than life image because of the way and manner it has
pursued and carried out its mandate. In the days of yore, EFCC under the garrulous and media conscious Nuhu Ribadu had
scant regard for the rule of law, due process, obedience of court orders, respect for fundamental human rights of individuals
and indeed the dignity of the human person. People were wantonly arrested at the slightest suspicion and thrown into the
gulag, they were pronounced guilty even before investigation commenced. People in EFCC then saw themselves as clearly
above the law. Hence, the fear of EFCC was the beginning of wisdom. The EFCC became a terror organization, unleashing
the iron law of oligarchy and unprecedented reign of terror on people, all in the name of fighting economic cum financial
crimes.
It is very disturbing and worrisome to note that, the agency that was supposed to sincerely and justly fight corruption
became a willing tool and ready accomplice with former President Olusegun Obasanjo to settle person and political vendetta
with perceived enemies just to score cheap political point. For instance, he used the EFCC to aimlessly attack and hounded
the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, because his former deputy worked in league with other progressive forces in the
country to thwart his (Obasanjo) third term ambition scheme, which was not only against the constitution, but was clearly at
odds with the wishes and aspirations of the Nigerian people. Therefore, like a wounded lion he (Obasanjo) fought back,
using the EFCC to put booty traps in the way of Atiku Abubakar. He manipulated the EFCC to indict Atiku on trumped up
and flimsy charges of corruption, so as to nail his political coffin, thereby sealing his ambition of contesting for the highest
office in the country in the run up to the 2007 elections. That is why it has been said that, “they accumulated power by all
means, did everything to secure it and to prevent others from getting it. As ruler-ship became permanent, politics became
Hobbesian: power was pursued by all means and kept by all means and the struggle for power became the overriding
concern. Indeed politics became the only game in town, it was played with deadly seriousness for winners won everything
and the losers lost everything. Development does not occur in the framework of a political style which essentially
institutionalizes warfare”.
Of course, Atiku went to court to challenge the verdict of EFCC on him; the court not only set aside all the vicious and
baseless conclusions of EFCC, that Atiku was a corrupt politician, but out-rightly over-turned Obasanjo and EFCC actions as
unconstitutional, null and void. It is therefore of no effect whatsoever. However, in spite of this, the EFCC on the prompting
of Obasanjo refused to obey the court judgement. Instead, it kept on hanging the false charge of corruption on the neck of
Atiku to no end. And, EFCC then Obasanjo was an untouchable that could do no wrong. And, EFCC was a law unto itself in
Obasanjo’s banana republic.
In fact Nuhu Ribadu said severally that Obasanjo was not corrupt, that he has investigated him thoroughly and seen that, he
is very clean, above-board and beyond reproach. When Ribadu was asked to investigate Obasanjo for the dominant role he
played during the infamous third term saga, he said, Obasanjo was not connected with the scheme in any way and if people
had evidence they should bring it to him, but with the benefit of hindsight, we know better. Ribadu knowingly shield
Obasanjo for any form of investigation and prosecution. Also, all what have been revealed during the power sector as well as
F.C.T. land probe have evidently demonstrated that Obasanjo is patently corrupt. But because, it was Obasanjo that
appointed Ribadu as EFCC boss, he was desperately keen on keeping the job at all cost, so, Obasanjo cannot be probed and
he is eternally clean.
The import of this is that, indeed Ribadu compromised his exalted office because of pecuniary gains and was blindly
supported by a cross section of the NGO community because he made funds available to them to run their various outfits.
Throughout the time Ribadu was in office, he never allowed the Director-General of EFCC to function according to the law
setting up the agency, he never allowed the accounts of EFCC to be duly audited, he never allowed the board of EFCC to
meet and deliberate on crucial issues affecting the agency, Ribadu also kept under wraps, all foreign fundings that came to
the agency, and nobody can say for sure the exact amounted that was involved. It is also imperative to underscore the fact
that, while Ribadu was fully in charge of EFCC, it was a tiny clique of rapacious individuals that ran the agency like a private
business.
But when the government of President Umaru Yar’Adua assumed the mantle of leadership, it became very clear that his style
of administration was quite different from that of Obasanjo and his collaborators and goons, the EFCC under Ribadu. Hence,
he had to be sent on study leave in NIPSS, where he was very reluctant to go, because he wanted to continue to enjoy the
perks and perquisite of office as well as have unfettered access to endless flow of funds that will not be accounted for.
Again, he wouldn’t want to leave the place as not to expose his unparalleled corruption in the commission, and he sees EFCC
as his personal estate.
Now with the appointment of the new chairperson for EFCC, in person of Mrs. Faridah Waziri, it is very vivid that there will
be a wave of change to correct and clean up the rot in EFCC, hence, the old guards in the agency, who were part and parcel
of the tiny clique that ran EFCC with Ribadu are bent on staying put in EFCC to continue to enjoy their ill-gotten wealth and
make sure that at all cost that the status quo remains, the old ways of doing things, the dirty, under the table deals continue
ad infinitum. Hence, they are putting up a fight by sending erroneous, misplaced and totally incorrect write-ups and news
items to online news sites and other magazines about the newly appointed chairperson of EFCC. They cast aspersion on her
integrity and credibility, but this is nothing but a treacherous red-herring to distract the public from knowing the real truth
about the going-ons in EFCC under the janus-faced regime if Nuhu Ribadu. This is because they know that their time is up
and that there is just no way they can survive the imminent purge that will soon sweep away all the dirt’s and skeletons in
the EFCC’s cupboard.
They want to remain in EFCC to continue to corruptly enrich themselves, while painting other people black, but they have to
go, EFCC must be cleansed, its book must be audited, this is because, EFCC today remains one of the most corrupt national
institution in the country.
To this end, all the mudslinging against the person of the new chairperson of the commission must be disregarded, in stead,
she should be allowed to settle down and cleanse the Augean stable in the agency. This is the time to really build our national
institutions, so that, they can function properly rather build personality cult around some individuals. There is no doubt that
under Obasanjo, the EFCC was a complete mess that the agency had to sustain its profile through PR (corruption), hence the
exigent need for the place to be sanitized.
Ibn-Mohammed Zakari, wrote in from No 10 Bauchi Road, Garki Area two, Abuja.
EFCC is one organization that has over the years assumed a larger than life image because of the way and manner it has
pursued and carried out its mandate. In the days of yore, EFCC under the garrulous and media conscious Nuhu Ribadu had
scant regard for the rule of law, due process, obedience of court orders, respect for fundamental human rights of individuals
and indeed the dignity of the human person. People were wantonly arrested at the slightest suspicion and thrown into the
gulag, they were pronounced guilty even before investigation commenced. People in EFCC then saw themselves as clearly
above the law. Hence, the fear of EFCC was the beginning of wisdom. The EFCC became a terror organization, unleashing
the iron law of oligarchy and unprecedented reign of terror on people, all in the name of fighting economic cum financial
crimes.
It is very disturbing and worrisome to note that, the agency that was supposed to sincerely and justly fight corruption
became a willing tool and ready accomplice with former President Olusegun Obasanjo to settle person and political vendetta
with perceived enemies just to score cheap political point. For instance, he used the EFCC to aimlessly attack and hounded
the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, because his former deputy worked in league with other progressive forces in the
country to thwart his (Obasanjo) third term ambition scheme, which was not only against the constitution, but was clearly at
odds with the wishes and aspirations of the Nigerian people. Therefore, like a wounded lion he (Obasanjo) fought back,
using the EFCC to put booty traps in the way of Atiku Abubakar. He manipulated the EFCC to indict Atiku on trumped up
and flimsy charges of corruption, so as to nail his political coffin, thereby sealing his ambition of contesting for the highest
office in the country in the run up to the 2007 elections. That is why it has been said that, “they accumulated power by all
means, did everything to secure it and to prevent others from getting it. As ruler-ship became permanent, politics became
Hobbesian: power was pursued by all means and kept by all means and the struggle for power became the overriding
concern. Indeed politics became the only game in town, it was played with deadly seriousness for winners won everything
and the losers lost everything. Development does not occur in the framework of a political style which essentially
institutionalizes warfare”.
Of course, Atiku went to court to challenge the verdict of EFCC on him; the court not only set aside all the vicious and
baseless conclusions of EFCC, that Atiku was a corrupt politician, but out-rightly over-turned Obasanjo and EFCC actions as
unconstitutional, null and void. It is therefore of no effect whatsoever. However, in spite of this, the EFCC on the prompting
of Obasanjo refused to obey the court judgement. Instead, it kept on hanging the false charge of corruption on the neck of
Atiku to no end. And, EFCC then Obasanjo was an untouchable that could do no wrong. And, EFCC was a law unto itself in
Obasanjo’s banana republic.
In fact Nuhu Ribadu said severally that Obasanjo was not corrupt, that he has investigated him thoroughly and seen that, he
is very clean, above-board and beyond reproach. When Ribadu was asked to investigate Obasanjo for the dominant role he
played during the infamous third term saga, he said, Obasanjo was not connected with the scheme in any way and if people
had evidence they should bring it to him, but with the benefit of hindsight, we know better. Ribadu knowingly shield
Obasanjo for any form of investigation and prosecution. Also, all what have been revealed during the power sector as well as
F.C.T. land probe have evidently demonstrated that Obasanjo is patently corrupt. But because, it was Obasanjo that
appointed Ribadu as EFCC boss, he was desperately keen on keeping the job at all cost, so, Obasanjo cannot be probed and
he is eternally clean.
The import of this is that, indeed Ribadu compromised his exalted office because of pecuniary gains and was blindly
supported by a cross section of the NGO community because he made funds available to them to run their various outfits.
Throughout the time Ribadu was in office, he never allowed the Director-General of EFCC to function according to the law
setting up the agency, he never allowed the accounts of EFCC to be duly audited, he never allowed the board of EFCC to
meet and deliberate on crucial issues affecting the agency, Ribadu also kept under wraps, all foreign fundings that came to
the agency, and nobody can say for sure the exact amounted that was involved. It is also imperative to underscore the fact
that, while Ribadu was fully in charge of EFCC, it was a tiny clique of rapacious individuals that ran the agency like a private
business.
But when the government of President Umaru Yar’Adua assumed the mantle of leadership, it became very clear that his style
of administration was quite different from that of Obasanjo and his collaborators and goons, the EFCC under Ribadu. Hence,
he had to be sent on study leave in NIPSS, where he was very reluctant to go, because he wanted to continue to enjoy the
perks and perquisite of office as well as have unfettered access to endless flow of funds that will not be accounted for.
Again, he wouldn’t want to leave the place as not to expose his unparalleled corruption in the commission, and he sees EFCC
as his personal estate.
Now with the appointment of the new chairperson for EFCC, in person of Mrs. Faridah Waziri, it is very vivid that there will
be a wave of change to correct and clean up the rot in EFCC, hence, the old guards in the agency, who were part and parcel
of the tiny clique that ran EFCC with Ribadu are bent on staying put in EFCC to continue to enjoy their ill-gotten wealth and
make sure that at all cost that the status quo remains, the old ways of doing things, the dirty, under the table deals continue
ad infinitum. Hence, they are putting up a fight by sending erroneous, misplaced and totally incorrect write-ups and news
items to online news sites and other magazines about the newly appointed chairperson of EFCC. They cast aspersion on her
integrity and credibility, but this is nothing but a treacherous red-herring to distract the public from knowing the real truth
about the going-ons in EFCC under the janus-faced regime if Nuhu Ribadu. This is because they know that their time is up
and that there is just no way they can survive the imminent purge that will soon sweep away all the dirt’s and skeletons in
the EFCC’s cupboard.
They want to remain in EFCC to continue to corruptly enrich themselves, while painting other people black, but they have to
go, EFCC must be cleansed, its book must be audited, this is because, EFCC today remains one of the most corrupt national
institution in the country.
To this end, all the mudslinging against the person of the new chairperson of the commission must be disregarded, in stead,
she should be allowed to settle down and cleanse the Augean stable in the agency. This is the time to really build our national
institutions, so that, they can function properly rather build personality cult around some individuals. There is no doubt that
under Obasanjo, the EFCC was a complete mess that the agency had to sustain its profile through PR (corruption), hence the
exigent need for the place to be sanitized.
Ibn-Mohammed Zakari, wrote in from No 10 Bauchi Road, Garki Area two, Abuja.
The Rotten Eggs In EFCC