Farida Waziri, a former chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), stirred the hornet’s nest recently when she took a swipe at Nuhu Ribadu, her predecessor, following an earlier claim by the latter that the commission is yet to recover from the damage done to it under her leadership.
Ribadu had at an annual lecture organised by the Law Chambers of Joe Kyari Gadzama in Abuja on December 1, 2016, themed: ‘Corruption and the Nigerian Economy: Lawyers as Change Agents’, fingered Wazri; Michael Aondoakaa, a former justice minister and attorney-general and Ben Nwabueze, a professor of law, as those that frustrated the fight against corruption.
But Waziri would have none of that and quickly released her own verbal salvo against the Adamawa State-born ex-police officer.
In a statement signed by Omolara Oluremi, her personal assistant, Waziri asked Ribadu to explain to Nigerians what happened to billions of funds the EFCC recovered under him as chairman.
She said: “My attention has been drawn to a reckless and irresponsible statement credited to Nuhu Ribadu at a function on Wednesday in Abuja, where he, as has been his rhetoric since 2008 when I succeeded him as the EFCC chairman, attempted to malign me by accusing me of being part of his imaginary enemies who frustrated the nation’s anti-graft war.
“My first inclination was to ignore Nuhu Ribadu since I know he is always obsessed with dropping my name into his script any time he needs public pity or political relevance. But, on a second thought I felt I should advise him to leave me out of his frustrations and face life.”
“There should be a life after EFCC. If after eight years of being removed as EFCC chairman, he is yet to move on with life, even after two successive chairmen had occupied the same seat and moved on with their lives, then his problem may be psychogenic. He needs help elsewhere, certainly not from me”, Waziri further said.
Waziri did not stop there; she went on to remind Ribadu of his ill-fated outings as presidential candidate in 2011 and as gubernatorial contender in his native Adamawa State in 2015,
She scoffed that Ribadu could one day wake up to blame her for such disastrous outings.
“I equally suspect that Nuhu may, sooner than later, blame me for his penchant to jump from one party to another like a political prostitute; from the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to PDP and now to All Progressives Congress (APC). It is his lust for power, inordinate ambition and desperation for political relevance that continue to push him to dine and wine, and even enjoy the wealth of those he had labelled as corrupt yesteryear. He can’t hold me responsible for his double face, lack of principle and complex contradictions in his character,” she fumed.
Waziri was not yet done as she clawed deeper: “There is also the need to remind Ribadu that before he succumbs to another logorrhea, he should avail himself a copy of the investigative report on recovered assets during his tenure as EFCC chairman and use the opportunity of the next naming ceremony or birthday party he is invited to, to explain to Nigerians what happened to billions of funds and assets recovered from suspects under him, with no records or documentation. He should be grateful to me that I cleaned his mess by creating an Asset Forfeiture Unit to put the records straight and do things rightly.
“No matter how hard Nuhu tries to obliterate my tenure with his numerous lies, the record of over 450 convictions secured during my three and a half-year sojourn in EFCC remains indelible. Though I inherited about 10 high profile cases from him in 2008, we took over 75 of such high profile cases to courts, with another 1,500 low profile cases pending in courts as at my exit in November 2011.
“We initiated and commenced work on the permanent office complex of the EFCC sitting on 5.5 hectares of land along Airport Road, Abuja, in addition to setting up offices in Maiduguri, Borno State and Ibadan, Oyo State to expand the Commission’s scope of operations. I can go on and on, on my achievements. I have decided to mention just a few for now to discourage Nuhu from claiming the credit for them when next he wants to make himself happy or seek political relevance.”
She got pissed off last week also at the way things have been going wrong in the country, particularly, the thieving lifestyle of some politicians and so-called leaders. At an event to launch the Women Against Corruption Project, organised by the EFCC and Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Waziri counselled that people intending to occupy public offices should be checked for psychiatric problems.
“I sit down sometimes and wonder what corrupt Nigerians are thinking of. Somebody gets a big position and thinks he needs a big house in the United States and then jets off to buy a mansion. He comes back and then wants a house in Europe. He jets off to the UK to buy one and then thinks of the UAE, he jets off to Dubai and buys one and he is not satisfied.
“He then jets off to South Africa to buy one. I went to Pretoria and I was taken to a street which was vacated by De Boers, the white farmers who had left South Africa and I was shown houses owned by Nigerians. They looked like cathedrals to me and in fact they looked like haunted houses and when these Nigerians travel to South Africa, they can’t stay there so they lodge in hotels. So, what is the aim? What goes on in their minds? And that is why I said that before the government employs anyone to positions of authority, let them be medically examined. They need psychiatric tests. Some corrupt politicians own houses on every continent in the world while some others do not know how much they are worth”, she said.
Profile
Farida Mzamber Waziri was born on 7 July 1949 and raised in Gboko, Benue State. She obtained her law degree from the University of Lagos and obtained a Masters degree in Law from the Lagos State University. In 1996, she gained a Masters Degree in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan. She is the author of Advance Fee Fraud, National Security and the Law.
Farida Waziri was enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force in 1965 and rose to the position of Assistant Inspector General of Police. She held the positions of Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations), screening and selection, Assistant/Deputy Commissioner of Police Force C.I.D Alagbon, Lagos, Commissioner of Police, General Investigation and Commissioner of Police in charge of X-Squad. She was at a time responsible for handling cases of bribery and corruption within the police force.
NATHANIEL AKHIGBE
