It was a tense session last week at the corruption dialogue where different arms of government chose to draw their swords and even throw mud. At the forum organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC), chaired by Professor Itsey Sagay, things took an interesting turn. Sagay took over the podium to give his remarks and it turned out that everyone was corrupt.
He said despite the President Muhammadu Buhari led anti-graft war, corruption still reigned supreme in different agencies of government.
An indictment on everyone, if you ask me, even the anti-graft crusaders.
Acting President Yemi Osinabjo who sat through the first session was not smiling either. It was obviously not amusing. I could only imagine what would have happened if it were President Muhammadu Buhari sitting there and hearing that despite all his administration’s best effort, there was no traction or change in anti-corruption campaign.
Sagay went on to list agencies and their crimes, adding that even those who demonstrated the hardship in the country are corrupt. They were paid to do so. In fact, they should have taken their protest to Otueke, the ancestral home of President Goodluck Jonathan, he said.
Not a bad idea right? Except that something just does not stand out in the picture; he handed over power to a new government two years ago and now you show up at his doorstep with a protest because things are not going fine.
He called different arms of government funny names (not that we didn’t already know) to their faces. Adjectives like cruel, inhuman, malevolent, etc were exclusively reserved for the National Assembly.
Despite the current economic turmoil, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), riddled with uncompleted projects, just bought over
70 new vehicles. Of those, at least eight are luxurious Lexus SUVs that cost 78 million naira each and 10 Toyota Land Cruisers that cost
63 million naira each. This money was taken from funds for infrastructure including water projects, housing, hospitals and school without conscience. Recklessly without a thought for the wretched
people of the Delta (these were his words.) The Nigerian Customs has completely ignored the fight against corruption operating as if it
were not in Nigeria, Sagay said citing an experience of his relations that faced brazen extortion from the men of the customs service.
The judiciary was not spared. He accused them of deliberately sabotaging corruption trials and in the light of this, PACAC has decided to set up its own monitoring corps of young lawyers. These will monitor every corruption case, and report any breach of the administration of criminal Justice act which shall be passed to the National Judicial Commission for appropriate action. Well, he touched on most of the agencies of government and his grouse mostly was that despite Buhari’s stand against corruption things were still going on business as usual.
It looked like they all came prepared for a fight as they hit back at him. First was Jude Ilo, who after giving his goodwill message felt the impulse to respond to Sagay’s allegations against protesters. He
said it was insulting to say those who protested hardship in the country were corrupt, referencing that they were paid to do so.
“Let me as a Nigerian respond to Prof. Sagay, I think it is a little bit disconcerting and a tad disrespectful if we tag every Nigerian who disagrees with us as ignorant. People who took to the street did it because they believe in this country and there is nothing that they said in that demonstration that was false”. His words were actually true.
And then was the newly appointed Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen’s response. Before I settle to that, Onnoghen who survived a harsh controversy on whether or not he will be confirmed is a delight
to listen to, not just for his words but his gesticulations. Did you watch him at the National Assembly during his screening? If you did
you will understand this.
When he mounted the podium to talk, he kept heaving heavy sigh again and again as he spoke: “Hmm! Hmm!! Hmm!!! Then he got to the point
where he hit his head (that was the point he got to at NASS and they begged him to stop). Then the flow started. The audience roared with laughter. We just couldn’t help it. He blamed shoddy investigations by
anti-graft agencies for the delay of justice and not just corruption.
The anti-graft agencies must do a thorough investigation before arresting and charging to court.
In the light of all we have been seeing in the courts, I think I agree. Some of those high profile cases tell the story of ‘arrest and investigate later’ rather than the other way round. To the CJN, the
anti-corruption efforts would fare better if the government also tackled the cultures of impunity and adhere to the rule of law. We all agreed to this. Let me allow you read a short line of his speech.
“Shoddily investigated and poorly prosecuted cases, and you still expect judicial officers to deliver justice? Hardly. Most cases of high profile fraud, terrorism, etc have been abandoned. That is what I
get from statistics across the country” he said adding that they should also be commended rather than be continuously demonised.
Next, the Senate President Bukola Saraki, whose speech was read by one Senator Chukwuka Utazi, went on and on about how the National Assembly
was referenced in all worst case scenario of corruption. Of course, he agrees that corruption must be fought in a strategised manner but
smearing and victimisation are just not allowed.
This is an excerpt from his speech: “Certain government agencies and civil society bodies (and PACAC is not innocent of this), have formed the habit of making a scapegoat of the National Assembly as a den of corruption. They deliberately cast institutions of state in unsalutary hue that is divorced from reality. It does not help in confidence building, within government and across the civil population, when institutions of state are deliberately demonised in order to put the shine on others”.
Perhaps, I should let you read this too; “As a critical stakeholder and partner in the mandate given to PACAC, it does not feel right when you mount rostrums to say how badly the National Assembly has performed. Indeed, it is counter-productive for PACAC to do so because its mandate of advising should be given across board to all arms and tiers in order to promote the effectiveness of all government
institutions and strengthen anti-corruption measures in a comprehensive manner”. Well, Saraki also spoke against the sting operation carried out on Judges (you remember them?). He advised PACAC not to lend itself to supporting extra-legal actions.
So, after they finished throwing stones at each other the Acting President took the podium, with a sullen expression and went straight to the point. “We have to stop the finger pointing and fix the problem”.
I still wonder what was going through his mind at that time, he did not look happy. Can he really fire those indicted in NDDC and Customs? Well, I don’t think so, except his principal gives him the go ahead.
And that brings us to a statement within the week that the acting president does not act independent of the president, or say not without the President’s permission. In the real sense of the word, that is true, but when you consider that he is an acting president and should take some decisions as the president, you relax. There are still things to be done. The board appointments, most especially.
