EFCC: When truth confronts half-fried ideas

By Levi Obijiofor

Friday, 17 October 2008

Soon after Mrs Farida Waziri was appointed the boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), she warned the nation to be prepared because she was going to step on everyone’s toes. Everyone trembled on account of her record in the police where Mrs Waziri established a reputation as a no-nonsense woman. We shouldn’t have worried because service in the police is not exactly the same as running around sniffing out corrupt politicians, business people and public servants. 

In a twist of irony, rather than Mrs Waziri stepping on everyone’s toes, the press and the public have been crawling all over her toes, turning them into some kind of trampoline for physical exercise. Mrs Waziri’s reputation is on trial and her ability to manage the EFCC effectively has been questioned in the public and in the press.  

Mrs Waziri is occupying an important but very sensitive position. For every decision the EFCC takes or fails to take, Mrs Waziri is bound to make new enemies and new friends. Anything she says is bound to be picked up, analysed and interpreted in various ways. The public is definitely entitled to criticise or commend Mrs Waziri. In this context, she must be alert at all times and weigh carefully her official and unofficial statements because, as the police -- Mrs Waziri’s constituency -- would say, what she says or refuses to say might be used as evidence against her. 

Mrs Waziri must be wondering why she and the organisation she leads – her little piece of silverware – have been the subject of intense media focus in recent times. To save her from tearing her hair further, I would volunteer an informed response. Whatever she does in response to her declining image, it is important for her not to panic. But she must be prepared to change her management style, including the manner in which she responds to questions from the press and the public, as well as how the EFCC understands and tackles corruption. These must be done as a matter of urgent importance.

In the past one week, Mrs Waziri made public statements that seriously undermined the credibility of the EFCC. Expectedly, the public was not impressed. At a national forum last week, Mrs Waziri stunned her audience when she claimed that the EFCC had no case against Obasanjo because no one had lodged allegations of corruption against the man. If Mrs Waziri had not been living in the country, she would have been accused of going on vacation to outer space with some astronauts.

At the forum, Mrs Waziri said, apparently in defence of Obasanjo: “As far as we are concerned, there is no case against Chief Obasanjo. There are some bulky files and when you begin to look at them, you don’t see respondents, then you don’t have any case.”

Mrs Waziri ought not to have made those comments. She was absolutely under no obligation to do so. There are times when it is better to keep quiet than to say something stupid. Did Mrs Waziri imply, by her comments, that there were no petitions against Obasanjo or that the EFCC was unwilling to investigate complaints against Obasanjo for lack of evidence or that the EFCC was unable to account for those missing files in which those complaints were held?

Mrs Waziri’s statement flew in the face of available evidence and the mood of the nation. Not a few people in the audience could accept to swallow that pill. For making such a blatantly doubtful comment, the EFCC boss got her match in the form of a forceful response from a member of the audience who queried Mrs Waziri: “How can you talk about fighting corruption when you have consistently ignored the petitions we sent to your commission...?” The public was left to spot the difference – who was telling the truth and who was embellishing half-truths?

One interpretation of Mrs Waziri’s views is that Obasanjo is too “big” to be investigated. It could also be that Obasanjo is such an incorruptible man that it would be an insult to smear him with the brush of corruption. Or, it could be that Obasanjo, in his capacity as the founder of this all-powerful government agency, has an inviolable relationship with the EFCC. In essence, the implication is that the EFCC cannot probe Obasanjo and Obasanjo cannot, in his right mind, condemn the EFCC. It is what they call in local Nigerian slang: “you scratch my back and I scratch your back”.

To be more emphatic, Mrs Waziri’s statement about Obasanjo’s innocence was at odds with the findings of a House of Representatives Committee on Power which investigated the way Obasanjo’s government mismanaged the power sector in eight years – between 1999 and 2007. Not only did the committee find disgusting cases of abuse of office which prompted the recommendation that the EFCC should investigate Obasanjo and other principal officers in that administration, the committee’s 10-volume report also devoted a special section to Obasanjo, in particular the likelihood of his involvement in the underhanded deals that crippled the power sector.

On Obasanjo, the committee reported: “In view of the enormity of issues entailed in the findings above, it is recommended that former President Olusegun Obasanjo should be called to account for the recklessness in power sector during his time. The committee recommends that EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences (ICPC) should investigate him.”

In light of this recommendation, was Mrs Waziri of the impression that the House committee’s findings and recommendations were not sufficient to trigger an investigation into the activities of Obasanjo and other politicians indicted in that report? Is Mrs Waziri unaware that some members of the House of Representatives actually toured the country and interviewed politicians, business people, public officers, executives of private and public companies – all in the attempt to understand how the power sector that gulped billions of naira has continued to show signs of imminent death rather than improved health?

To underline the absurdity of Mrs Waziri’s argument, we must first unpack the senselessness in her logic. If you agree with Mrs Waziri, it is correct to conclude that Obasanjo is innocent on the ground that there are no petitions against him. Could that really be the case? Is it true that there are no public complaints against Obasanjo? Fortunately, no sooner did Mrs Waziri realise her logical blunder than she tried to repair it. Unfortunately, the harder she tried, the more difficult it became for the audience to understand her. Mrs Waziri’s words again: “We shall strive to put in place, within a democratic structure, effective enforcement mechanisms that will root out corruption from offices and on the streets.”

It is bizarre that the EFCC would concentrate on smoking out corrupt rodents in offices and streets while corrupt high profile politicians, some state governors, local government chairpersons, senior public officers and business executives continue to plunder the country’s resources. Isn’t this a gross misunderstanding of the scope of corruption in the country?

If Mrs Waziri wants to tackle corruption, she must start with the big guns, not the little guys. The big guys are the oxygen bags that sustain the little ones. This is not to suggest that the EFCC should ignore small cases of corruption. As former Zimbabwean Information Minister stated in his response to allegations of corruption against Robert Mugabe’s government, “the child of a snake is a snake”. That means, “little corruption, petty corruption, big corruption -- they are all forms of corruption. They must not be tolerated.”

The EFCC’s anti-corruption campaign needs to be injected with a new sense of energy and commitment. Mrs Waziri can succeed in her job but so far, the blunders about missing files, the unwillingness to arrest and prosecute high profile suspects, the baseless defence of Obasanjo, and the focus on the corrupt squirrels in offices and streets have not given the public the confidence that the EFCC is moving in the right direction. Nigerians are too sophisticated now to be fed with the EFCC’s half-fried ideas.

Robot  Villager

# 1 ://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/images/stories/article_images_3/farida.Mrs Waziri can succee...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 17.10.2008 01:17

Igboamaeze  Villager

# 2 Oga LIVINUS, thanks for your concern over EFCC and their "war" against corruption. You talked about FW and her press relations as though she has performed poorly in that respect but for me that's the ONLY thing I praise her for. You see she has not yet recruited journalists, PR gurus and spinmasters to deceive the public like her predecessor did. In street parlance they'll say that she is keeping it real. What you see is what you get. I confess that I did not read the full text of your essay, I have serious time constraints. I only scanned thro it trying to see if like other "reputable and notable" columnists you will compare FW with NR, the "undisputed heavy weight of patriotism and the award winning anti-corruption czar". Luckily and happily I did not see any mention of him. Thanks for that. I hope it is delibrate. In the meantime pls visit www.sunnewsonline.com and see the news on PPRA scam. My question is: when did this fraud start? In 2008 when FW took over or before, during her predecessor? If an agency whose office is less than one kilometer from EFCC headquarters squandered millions of dollars of public funds - like tens of others: PTDF, PEF, PPMC, Ministry of Works, FERMA, FCTA, NNPC, FIRS, Power and Steel, Water Resources, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc... - and EFCC under the "award winner" did not know and yet he knew that Orji Kalu, ALAMS, Odili, Ibori and others who were hundreds of kilometers away were corrupt (no defence whatsoever for the looters pls) how then do we believe him? On what basis are we vouching for his competence? NR fooled this nation big time and I am so disappointed that most Nigerians allowed themselves to be fooled by Ribadu and his antics. Another disclaimer: FW is certainly not an alternative. She failed on arrival but as I said, she has not been making noise all over the place like her predecessor. Finally, pls see below a reproduction of an earlier post by me on this EFCC distraction: Memo to All Villagers: Re EFCC, Ribadu and Waziri. Pls see today's Punch: Senate urges EFCC, ICPC to try el-Rufai over alleged economic crimes http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl....00810161251835 Read the fraud that was El Rufai's tenure and yet he was Ribadu's closest pal! If El Rufai were to be an Igboman, be rest assured that Ribadu would have paraded him in chains. This is our Nigeria. This is the hypocrite called Ribadu. This is the nonsense called anti-corruption. This is patriotism according to Ribadu and his stupid cheer-leaders in the media. Be rest assurred that no one is going to ask El Rufai any question let alone try him. You have all heard how some Emirs and retired Generals share the nation's grain reserves and fertilizer year after year. Till today no one has raised the matter after the Agric Minister made the disclosure. The cash and carry press are rather interested in Ribadu and his well deserved nemesis. Villagers, this is your Nigeria, my Nigeria, our Nigeria. Mr Sonala Olumhense and other fans of Ribadu should pls educate me on why Ribadu did not detect the massive fraud at FCT under emperor El Rufai. The reason the files of Obj and the governors are missing is because, for the first time, northern politicians were involved. And to think that case files will be missing at EFCC is more than enough to convince the most gullible fool that EFCC is a joke and has always been a huge joke. Mrs Waziri is now grandstanding in Rivers State, can someone please tell me any - I mean any, Ribadu and Farida Waziri inclussive - politician or public officer in Nigeria today that is not corrupt? If I were the Governor and government of Rivers State, I will chase EFCC and their rogue operatives away until they find the missing files of Obj and his 36 thieves as well as tell us why no northerner/muslim has ever been charged of corruption (pls don't tell me about Boni Haruna, Botmang/Dariye and Jolly Nyame. These are marginal northerners that stepped out of line. You know why they are being tried. Don't you?) Maybe then we can all convert to North/Islam so that Nigeria will be free from corruption. Let us stop this charade called anti-corruption until we are ready to tackle it head on. Posted by Igboamaeze| 17.10.2008 03:13

akuluouno  Villager

# 3 The Rt Hon Igboama, I do not think that SO is justifying the tenure of NR. If that is implied in his latest treatise on FW,s EFCC then I beg to also disagree with him. The fact is that corruption in Nigeria is not only an incubus, it has become a malignant cancer. I have always agreed with the view that in Nigeria we cannot legislate against two things, coups and corruption. I think the eradication of corruption is one tall goal Nigeria has set for himself which cannot be fulfilled for so many reasons - systemic, endemic, cultural, religious, mischief, ethnic, nigerian factor, etc etc. When you see the etymological definition of corruption, you will see that like sin, we are all born into it. I have also tried to distinguish between what I called fiscal and non-fiscal corruption. The latter is even more deadlier than the former. During the probes on power and FCT in the house, I noticed that the actors easily get away with non-fiscal corruption while all ears are out for the fiscal ones. That was why ER in one moment of deadly and expensive hubris remarked, "if I do not allocate land to my friends and family, will I allocate them to my enemies". The whole house roared with laughter Yesterday I sat at a place where I overheard a group of young undergraduates discussiing the modalities of bribing one of their lecturers so that he will inflate their degree exam marks to enable them make a first or second class upper so that they can easily get jobs in banks. Corruption is not Nigerian, it is universal. But agencies like the EFCC owe it to Nigerians to devise ingenious ways of reducing the cankerworm in view of its capacity for rapid underdevelopment of a state. Plea bargains can be made. Investment of looted funds in the domestic economy is also an option for now. I do not know if naming and shaming can work since our political elites have long passed the era of honour and being ashamed. Thanks. Posted by akuluouno| 17.10.2008 04:21

employlawone  Villager

# 4 Unfortunately a perfectly plausible rejoinder has been handicapped by an ill-informed attempt to inject a tribal dimension to the issue. Read the fraud that was El Rufai's tenure and yet he was Ribadu's closest pal! If El Rufai were to be an Igboman, be rest assured that Ribadu would have paraded him in chains. Why must we continue to see every myriad of problems confronting Nigeria only through the prism of tribal lenses? Posted by employlawone| 17.10.2008 04:49

izonboy  Villager

# 5 I dont know which one to start with, the FW tenure or the trivalization of issues on the basis of tribal sentiments. Lets start with FW. It is a good thing that she came at a time when the Nigerian press and certain informed commentators were in love with NR. It left a big shoe for her to fill. With the advantage of previous performance as a yardstick to measure her own performance, FW is under pressure to perform. Even if she does not do so well at the end, at least she's being kept on her toes and one hopes she's kept under the spotlight throughout her tenure. The lesson (or at least one of them) is that there is no point in changing the rules of the game to keep any body in office for ever whether they perform well or not. If they did, their successor would be forced to perform. If they didnt, their successor would have a chance to improve. Bringing me to the question: was NR sure a performer? I agree with the analysis that some of the issues that Nigeria is throwing at FW did not occur just yesterday or today. Brother NR was too busy playing to the gallary and serving the biddings of Baba Sege to have time to address real issues. Apart from embarrassing a few former governors (and maybe getting Alams disgraced out of office and getting a plea-bargained sentence) what concrete record does NR have to show for his years of showmanship? And I am asking this as a genuine question for those who know to oblige less informed people like me. Then there is also the stupidity of the law and its endless fictions. Lets not blame FW and her types too much if they keep talking of no case. Jacob Zuma, upon all the issues around him in South Africa is said not to have any case because he has not been charged of any thing. The law as they say is an ass. What we see koro-koro, the law would say .: where is the evidence? Tribalism? Nothing new. For as long as our existence remains strongly linked to 'place of origin', tribalism and tribal sentiments will remain issues. Forget that part of the Constitution that says we'd encourage Nigerians to mix and to settle anywhere. If my opinion would count (unfortunately it does not) I would say that all our official forms should ask 'place of residence', rather than 'place of origin'. Maybe that would help us gradually move away from the crippling effects of ethnic and tribal attachments. hey, and please dont ask me why I bear Izonboy if I am not ethnic conscious!. Posted by izonboy| 17.10.2008 05:39

Uwaa Sef  Villager

# 6 Make una leave matter abeg. The most important thing be sey the titi fine well well. Later Posted by Uwaa Sef| 17.10.2008 10:35

10Kobo  Villager

# 7 At times, l think "Nigerians" deserve all this crooked Leaders they get! We are so insincere, warped in thinking and judgment which, most times, is colored by tribal and ethnic hatred/sentiments. For example, lets take a closer look at this article and the few responses, so far. We had a Nuhu Ribadu, Nigerians, these same Nigerians claimed he was a 'P.R stuntman' since he was always 'foaming in the mouth' about how many Guvnors he has nabbed or completed dossiers-on, prior to the expiration of their "immunity clause". He actually put some criminals away except that the "Obasanjo-favorites" and Obasanjo himself, were left untouched. Yahoo-yahoo criminals were on the decline. Bare-faced tricksters knew there was an agency that could investigate them. Even the Police knew they were not beyond reproach as their biggest Oga (or the one with the biggest Tummy! :D ) was de-robed and a few amounts forced out of his loot. Ribadu was cooperating with foreign governments to ensure that looters dont have a country to hide their loot and were actually not safe, home and abroad. Nigeria was beginning to get "de-classified" as a nation of thieves. Respect was begining to come our way, with all that Ribadu's foreign "image laundering interviews". Nuhu was not the "perfect FBI" we desired but l would grant him these: He started the job and set the pace. He was a pioneer and like all other pioneers, he can not be perfect. Others only need to improve on what a pioneer does. Nigerians connived with the enemies of this nation, the "grand-looters", to condemn and humiliate him. He was demoted, he was harassed and publicly ridiculed, using some "official technicality". To ensure that the humiliation never ends, a 'Police AIG' was recently ranting about "demoted officers" wearing 'Mufti' instead of their "demoted Uniform" which will display their new unenviable rank! :D I will like him to take a census of how many Policemen still wear Uniform these days. All you see is one "armed robber" wielding an AK-47 and when it is convenient or dangerous to his health, depending on the situation, he will 'brandish a Police I.D card' to show you that he is an "officer". Of course we all know who the target of such 'Abuja radio directive', is. Well, Ribadu is gone and gone for good, with all his warts and noise! Let his spirit lie, abi? Yet, some people are so incurably fixated on Ribadu so much so that they would blame Ribadu, if their son does not do his homework on time! Enter our queen Farida. The crime busting alternative to that foul-mouthed Ribadu that Nigerians have always prayed for! :D Now, files that Ribadu took pains, resources and risk to compile have gone missing and where they can still be found, they contain "compliments" written on behalf of fraudsters and looters. Well, that what you get! Thats what you deserve!! As long as we decide to "cut-off our nose, just to spite our face", thats what we will continue to get. Now this one does not make noise, infact, she is "green snakeee" on the green grass. I think its time we "shut-up and put-up" and let the woman do "what she was engaged to do" ......and dont ask me What it is she was engaged to do, ....the hand writing is already on the wall...or did you not hear that "Obj is an innocent man"? Aaah, and it was not Ribadu that said so O! Yeeyeeee dey smell for dis our Obodo Contiri!:confused1 10Kobo Posted by 10Kobo| 17.10.2008 10:49

Luchi  Villager

# 8 =Igboamaeze;280273> http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl....00810161251835 Read the fraud that was El Rufai's tenure and yet he was Ribadu's closest pal! If El Rufai were to be an Igboman, be rest assured that Ribadu would have paraded him in chains. This is our Nigeria. Mr Sonala Olumhense and other fans of Ribadu should pls educate me on why Ribadu did not detect the massive fraud at FCT under emperor El Rufai. Why bring being an Igbo man into every issue? As a reminder;Mr Sonala Olumhense was not supporting Ribadu, he was simply asking the current chair to submit EFCC report. Posted by Luchi| 17.10.2008 11:05

udokaamah  Villager

# 9 I am yet to see any Nigerian institution that has succeeded. The issue however has little to do with Nigeria or institution as it has to do with very notion of government. Government is THE problem. It was James Byrnes who said that "the nearest approach to immortality on earth is a government bureau" To address th issue of corruption, Nigeria set up a government bureau - EFCC. Big government is not the recipe to any problem. Government is the exact symbol of its people, "Like People, Like Government". Wolfgang Van Goethe said; "Which is the best government? That which teaches us to govern ourselves" To be governed is to be watched over, inspected, spied on, directed, legislated at, regulated, docketed, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, assessed, weighed, censored, ordered about, by men who have neither the right nor the knowledge nor the virtue (Pierre-Joseph Proudhon). Government is best which governs least. The true art of government consists in not governing too much. Ralph Waldo Emerson expressed a similar sentiment in his essay "Politics": "Hence the less government we have the better - the fewer laws and the less confided power." I do not advocate anarchy. But i draw a distinction between Government and Adminstration. The former is perpetual. The latter is temporary and changeable. According to Sharp Williams "My reading of history convinces me that most bad government has grown out of too much government." If we do not reduce the size of government in Nigeria, the genius called Nigerian will not show up. Posted by udokaamah| 17.10.2008 11:41

MrOneNaija  Villager

# 10 ENDURING TRUTH: THE HANGOVER OF REGIMENTATION? If I were an adviser to the current EFCC boss, Mrs. Waziri, I would tell her to be always mindful of this enduring truth, namely, that a significant segment of the national press had during much of the despotism of the ex-tyrant called Obasanjo, sought to act as cheer-leader for the lawless antics of the former chairman of the anti-corruption outfit. A Lagos newspaper, The Guardian, for which the author of the initiating article of this thread is a columnist, even made the controversial ex-head of the EFCC its " man of the year"! It is on record that for patently spurious considerations, The Guardian, for instance, threw caution to the wind by engaging in a partisan campaign to retain Nuhu Ribadu at the EFCC despite overwhelming evidence pointing to the reckless, destructive, brazenly corrupt and anti-democratic shenanigans of the man and his fellow agents there. After fighting an orchestrated but futile war on behalf of their darling, it is conceivable that members of what used to be derisively referred to as Kabiyesi press on account of its obsequious attitude to the previous regime, will harbor residual resentment against the successor. That resentment may not be conscious and may manifest itself in either the tone or hue of the writings or pronouncements of the pro-Ribadu elements. While it is true that Ribadu was master at media manipulation that apparently served him well in the eyes of the unsuspecting (or the biased), I would not recommend the resort to dubious tactics by the current EFCC boss. Mrs. Waziri and the EFCC should be transparent at all times. The emphasis on due process and the rule of law is the correct approach. As I did mention under another thread, it is the only way to help deepen Nigerian democracy. The law may be an ass but throwing away this tenacious vehicle in the criminal and rascally manner Obasanjo and his errand boy, Ribadu, did, would be tantamount to inviting anarchy. We cannot afford the hangover of military era regimentation. The due process mantra should not, though, be seen as an excuse not to do the right thing. Obasanjo and his confederates must never be allowed to have the last laugh at the expense of the nation. Those files that are reportedly tampered with or missing should be reconstituted. Again, there should be a surgical transformation of the EFCC to rid it of the compromised elements that helped bastardize the Nigerian democratic project in the last dispensation. Posted by MrOneNaija| 17.10.2008 12:40

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