By Nigerians have an unfathomable passion for the word “corruption.” As an act, Nigerians practice it with glee. It’s opened doors overflow with abundance; it opens the sanctuary of instant wealth. It enriches incredibly. And those in political leadership find corruption a worthy companion. Those in community or traditional or religious leaderships court it and befriend it. To them, it is an indispensable instrument to define their existence. They are Nigeria’s beasts of corruption. On the contrary, what Nigerians hate to hear or sight lurking anywhere near their shadows is the monstrous and haunting phrase “anti-corruption war.”
Grammarians also coat it as “anti-graft,” and a cartoon once proclaimed that “the fear of EFCC is the beginning of wisdom.” Thus, the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the boat of the anti-graft campaigns is not only hated, but despised and cursed by those who regale in the craftiness and pleasures of corruption.
So, they fight it silly. They mudsling, blackmail and intimidate every shadow that heralds the trumpet of the anti-graft war. Even with stained hands, they want everyone else to see no evil and speak no evil. They attack the czars of anti-corruption and try so desperately to make the world believe they are also not saints and so, lack the moral rectitude to sit in judgment over them. They might be right, after all, the Holy Scriptures admonishes against sitting in judgment over others. But it is contestable anyway; because the same scripture says “thou shall kill,” but the state is empowered to administer capital punishment on grave offenders. So, there is no escape route for looters. But the desperation of Nigerians to battle anti-graft lords is appalling.
Sometimes, the war goes sublime, with the use of faceless groups, as attack dogs. And because most Nigerians are given to easy convictions, they tend to believe the cheap hoopla bandied by those opposed to the anti-graft war by reason of their soiled hands and the fate that awaits them. Yesterday, such sentiments were again flaunted by a group which goes by the identity, Campaign for Democracy (CD). They tried to lampoon the anti-graft agency since its debut in 2003. Nothing is as flawed as the claims that EFCC withholds prosecution of certain persons. They fruitlessly attempted to market the dummy that President Muhammadu Buhari is shying away from prosecuting former President Goodluck Jonathan, whom they claimed is linked to $2.1 billion arms procurement fund. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
Those who headed the anti-corruption agency from its inception have done marvelous jobs in instilling sanity in the management of public resources in Nigeria. From its pioneer chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, to Mrs. Farida Waziri, to Ibrahim Lamorde, the war on corruption is not a mere sensation. It has yielded tangible fruits evidenced by the number of convictions and recovered loot. Ibrahim Lamorde for instance, who came on board as EFCC chairman, in 2012, the anti-graft agency secured 117 convictions in 2013 alone.
And the following year, the anti-graft war gathered more steam as the EFCC prosecuted and convicted 126 corrupt Nigerians in 2014. Added to his credit and steadfastness in the leadership of the EFCC, Lamorde also recovered monies from looters in the range of trillions of naira. His era as the EFCC boss gave the anti-corruption fight a teeth that pulled many down, including high profile personalities. These jobs were executed at a high risk of his life, yet, he remained committed and courageous to handle these financial criminals in the country. That Nigeria has hope of becoming a nation that would tomorrow extricate itself from the fangs of corruption or reduce it to the barest minimum is due largely to the solid foundation and the untiring efforts of these former heads of the EFCC for the meritorious service to their fatherland.
Certainly, in the course of the execution of his official assignments, Lamorde like his predecessors, must have stepped on toes and bruised many souls, who have not flinched in seeking vengeance. At the slightest opportunity, these wounded souls seek to extract their pound of flesh from Lamorde. The renewed campaigns of calumny against his person by these masked faces is an indication of the dangers he faced while in office and now, out of office. But precisely, Lamorde is being haunted by looters of the PDP era who are now facing prosecution in courts over corruption. His antagonists, largely a pool of frustrated Nigerians, who served in the previous administration are pained by his refusal to abuse the sacred oath of his office when he headed the EFCC, by dubiously implicating opposition politicians in favour of the then ruling party-PDP. The PDP goons wanted to scuttle the triumphant victories of the APC in some states of the federation , using the instrumentality of Lamorde’s EFCC to unjustly indict and disqualify popular APC governorship candidates during the 2015 general elections, which energised the APC victory in states.
But the shrewd and incorruptible police officer never compromised to the chargrin of the looters who are now facing corruption prosecution. This thorough breed, professional expert in fraud investigation abhorred the PDP’s official brigandage and arm-twisting of the system, much as he hated the celebrated impunity. So, he performed his duties diligently and guided by a clean conscience. The country still needs the experience and expertise of former EFCC bosses like Lamorde to demystify certain high profile cases of corruption. Like President Buhari has always buttressed, Nigeria’s prosperity depends almost entirely on the effectiveness of the anti-graft war and the extent government curbs the corruption instincts in Nigerians. And so far, the President has shown abiding faith in this cause.
And those imputing all manner of warped claims are needlessly distracting him. The thought of using Jonathan’s imagined links with arms procurement fraud to diminish his anti-graft campaigns is too puerile. But most importantly, Nigerians must not allow the sacrifices of former bosses of the EFCC like Lamorde in cleansing the land of financial mess to be rubbished because they refused to compromise their jobs.
Those who have embarked on the mission of character assassination against them do not have Nigeria at heart and nothing should be spared by men of good conscience in erecting a bulwark in their defence. It is only in Nigeria that the experience of former public office holders is discarded. Elsewhere, those who head establishment and perform sensitive duties, are invited even in retirement, from time to time to offer insights into certain puzzles or sensitive cases of the day.
It is the reason the likes of Ribadu, Waziri and Lamorde would ever remain assets to the Nigerian state in her quest to bury the endemic corruption in the country. To claim the EFCC or the Buhari crusade on anti-corruption has waned because of Jonathan is a disservice to Nigeria.
Therefore, it is worthwhile to ignore attempts by disgruntled elements to defame these anti-graft czars. It will be a serious misjudgment to allow those who have been badly bruised in the past to unjustly pull their trigger at them, as pay back, for simply standing by their country and lawful dictates of duties. If they are blackmailed and pulled down, Nigeria shall be the greatest loser. And the beasts of corruption in Nigeria should not be allowed to devour them and also, desist from distracting President Buhari’s anti-corruption campaigns.
Ojonuba contributed this piece from Manchester City, United Kingdom
