Ribadu: ‘No condition is permanent’ 

By Levi Obijiofor 

Friday, 28 November 2008 

Two years ago, it would have been absurd to imagine that Nuhu Ribadu, the former boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a man who was nearly canonized as a ‘Saint’ for driving fear into the hearts of high-profile corrupt public servants and politicians, would be reduced to an object of caricature by the same nation he served dutifully. As people regularly say in Nigeria, no condition is permanent in life.  

Ribadu’s descent from the tower of power has been as rapid as his rise to national and international recognition. In a twist of irony, the police hierarchy that endorsed the speedy promotion of Ribadu has now reversed its position, claiming that the man jumped the promotion queue and should not have been nominated to attend the regular course of the Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). That argument defies basic logic.  

When the authorities decided to ease Ribadu out of office last December by finding a backdoor for him to enrol in the NIPSS course, it never occurred to the grandmasters of the plot that Ribadu would, on successful completion of the course, claim legitimately that his promotion was legal because he was appointed to attend the NIPSS course on the basis of his rank in the police.  

Nearly one year since he was quietly removed from office, Ribadu’s enemies – most of them faceless -- have ensured that the man would not rest peacefully. He has been subjected to numerous humiliating experiences. He has been served with no fewer than three official queries by the police hierarchy, none of which Ribadu has bothered to reply. But as a measure of his level-headedness, Ribadu has surprised his enemies by the manner he has absorbed his ordeals with a sense of philosophical serenity.  

Last Saturday’s physical removal of Ribadu from the graduation ceremony of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies was the ultimate abuse and denial of the rights of a man to participate in the graduation ceremony of a course he actually attended. Ribadu was not at the graduation ceremony as a ‘419’ guest. He attended the course and successfully completed the requirements for which he was entitled to participate in the graduation ceremony and to receive his certificate. It is now a moot point for the police to claim that Ribadu was not qualified to attend the NIPSS course. If he was not qualified, why nominate him to attend the course in December 2007?  

Consider this irony. When Ribadu was coerced into enrolling in the NIPSS course last December, it was seen as a plot to get rid of him as the boss of the EFCC. The man dutifully attended the course. But when the time came for Ribadu to receive the certificate of the course he attended, his enemies would not tolerate one minute of Ribadu being in the spotlight.  

It took the Presidency three days of political procrastination before someone realised that it was cruel to deny Ribadu his graduation certificate. If you want to punish the man, do so but don’t deny him his entitlement in a crude manner. 

For a man who sacrificed so much of his personal values, his family, friends and his life in the service of his nation, this is not a fair reward by any means. The whole episode bears the signature of the kind of revenge associated with the Mafia. I have heard some people swear by their shirt sleeve that Ribadu deserved the treatment he received last Saturday because the EFCC, in his days, abused the human rights of many Nigerians by ignoring court injunctions, as well as arresting and maltreating suspects. Some of the criticisms were justified but Ribadu did not deserve some of the bitterness which some people have directed at him.  

Ribadu symbolizes controversy. Many Nigerians don’t know whether to smile or sympathise with the man who held court for a good number of years as the general overseer of an anti-corruption agency set up by Olusegun Obasanjo to serve Obasanjo’s selfish interests. It is in this context that some people hate Ribadu with the same passion that others love him. Why do some people hate him and others adore him? For the very reason that Ribadu performed his job with so much enthusiasm that he often stepped on some people’s toes. He was also accused of violating national laws in his determination to arrest and prosecute those the EFCC selectively regarded as corrupt elements, including those who were no more than mere critics of Obasanjo’s authoritarian government.  

Ribadu also stands accused of hypocritical behaviour in his anti-corruption war. For example, there were allegations that he shut his eyes to other forms of executive corruption perpetrated by the chief resident officer of Aso Rock during Obasanjo’s eight years of misrule. Artlessly, Ribadu fell into the trap laid by his critics because, at one point, he claimed the EFCC couldn’t find any blemishes on Obasanjo and senior members of his government. Ribadu’s statement represented the hallmark of naivety. He challenged Nigerians to tender evidence of corruption against Obasanjo or his senior officials, even when such evidence stared the EFCC in the face. Remember: a watchdog never bites its owner. Ribadu’s attempt to present Obasanjo as a righteous man was widely rejected and mocked by Nigerians. 

Ribadu’s adversaries are many. And they constitute the cream of his victims who will be celebrating the man’s present predicament. They include but are not limited to former governors Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa State, Joshua Dariye of Plateau State, James Ibori of Delta State (just to mention a few), and other high-status personalities such as Adolphus Wabara (disgraced former senate president) and Fabian Osuji (former federal education minister). 

Ribadu’s problems began almost at the same time he was appointed the EFCC boss. Within a few months of its establishmnent, the EFCC, under Ribadu, became the symbol of extreme power. Ribadu was untouchable. He couldn’t do anything wrong. In such a situation, his colleagues in the police force were destined to be resentful of the man’s swift rise to power. At one point, state governors and senior public servants who were regularly harassed by the EFCC asked quietly: is there no one who can stop this guy?  

It is true that during his time as the boss of the EFCC, Ribadu was more dreaded than the Inspector-General of Police. But others prefer to perceive him as the human face of the anti-corruption crusade which Obasanjo talked about but did little to implement. It was also with the tacit support of Obasanjo that Ribadu gained his powers and pursued many corrupt state governors and other senior public servants. He couldn’t have done that without the backing of Obasanjo, the man who deluded himself that he was indispensable.  

When people begin to tally Ribadu’s cardinal sins, they start by noting that it was in the process of implementing the anti-corruption laws that Ribadu abused the sanctity of the law courts and other revered institutions in the land, such as church premises. In pursuit of suspects, EFCC agents often crashed into the hallowed premises of high courts and magistrate’s courts, including the quiet precincts of churches where suspects had gone in search of protection.  

In spite of these obvious excesses committed by EFCC agents, some people still perceive Ribadu as a saint who needed the iron fist and extreme powers to rid the country of the odium of endemic corruption. Ribadu is virtually on his own now. His master – Obasanjo – has also abandoned him. The ultimate humiliation has been accomplished. There is something strange in the way the nation rewards hard work. What is happening to Ribadu represents a nation’s twisted sense of justice. It is also a measure of the moral values held by a nation where dishonesty and criminality are revered and rewarded while honesty and moral integrity are chastised.  

Robot  # 1 | 28.11.2008 11:17

Two years ago, it would have been absurd to imagine that Nuhu Ribadu, the former boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a man who was nearly canonized as a ‘Saint’ for driving fear into the hearts of high-profile corrupt public servants and politicians, would be reduced to an object of caricature by the same nation he served dutifully. As people regularly say in Nigeria, no condition is permanent in life. ...Read the full article.

SOJOURNER  # 2 | 28.11.2008 11:52

We, the poor masses of this nation have not abandoned ribadu.why you think up to the present moment the agents of evil have not implemented their evil design on him.preventing him from recieving his certificate is only a child play in comparising with what they actually want to do to him:but he remains invicible because he has the poor masses of this nation yearning to be free behind him

MrOneNaija  # 3 | 28.11.2008 13:05

PRO-RIBADU SYMPATHIES? There is something strange in the way the nation rewards hard work. What is happening to Ribadu represents a nation’s twisted sense of justice. It is also a measure of the moral values held by a nation where dishonesty and criminality are revered and rewarded while honesty and moral integrity are chastised. That is an objectionable view, especially given what is said elsewhere in the article. "It is also a measure of the moral values held by a nation where dishonesty and criminality are revered and rewarded while honesty and moral integrity are chastised"! One should consider the statement as risible if the implication is that as EFCC boss, Ribadu was imbued with "honesty and moral integrity". You only have to transparently review the track record of the former EFCC chairman. The selective, lawless and hypocritical media-driven professional posture of the Obasanjo errand boy does not confer on the latter "honesty and moral integrity"! The stark evidence is there for all to see.

Dewdrops  # 4 | 28.11.2008 13:11

Another new thread.....make I register my presence for page 1 instead of page 2 this time. Present sir! Where were we? We are here to chase "OBJ Accolades and Collateral Damages" out of Nigeria. The war against "fake anti-corruption Czars" rages on. =Robot;294822>Two years ago, it would have been absurd to imagine that Nuhu Ribadu, the former boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a man who was nearly canonized as a ‘Saint’ for driving fear into the hearts of high-profile corrupt public servants and politicians, would be reduced to an object of caricature by the same nation he served dutifully. As people regularly say in Nigeria, no condition is permanent in life. ...Read the full article. There are valuable lessons to be gleaned from Ribadu’s experiences. Lesson number one: All forms of power are transient. To put it in a common Nigerian phrase, ‘no condition is permanent’. Lesson number two: Don’t sacrifice your family and close friends while serving Nigeria. In future, Nigeria will abandon you but your family and genuine friends will always stand by you. Lesson number three: Never count on Obasanjo’s support in good time or in bad time. His support is as unreliable as a pledge made by a selfish person Thank you jare.....this is "mo better". Thank you for your objectivity. But I have a problem with number 2....what if the "kparakpo" friends and family club are the chief perpetrators of crime in Nigeria under your watch as the EFCC chairperson....does this mean they collect $200 and pass "GO"? :eek: Me I no support that one ooooooooooooh.......I say hang 'em all! YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY SHOULD BE ABLE TO STAND BY YOU....WITH THE RIGHT MORAL COMPASS.....REGARDLESS OF WHERE THE CHIPS MAY FALL.....PERIOD....IT IS CALLED A CONSCIENCE! NEVER COUNT ON ANY POLITICIAN IN NIGERIA PERIOD.....THEY ARE ALL SELFISH....OBJ IS JUST THE GREATEST USER OF ALL...THE MASTER OF THE GAME.......THE MOST SELFISH OF ALL NIGERIAN DICTATORS! My sentiments exactly........who cares about "Ribadu(n)"?:rolleyes: Nigeria must move forward please.....enough of the drama. What is Lady Waziri still waiting for? She has not stepped down yet? I can't wait to see her face even worse of a situation than Ribadu.....what a woman!

DaBishop  # 5 | 28.11.2008 13:47

Pray tell, who can do a good job of fighting corruption in naija and come out smelling of roses? Nonsense and ingredient:rolleyes:

ComradeX  # 6 | 28.11.2008 14:01

=Dewdrops;294849> My sentiments exactly........who cares about "Ribadu(n)"?:rolleyes: Nigeria must move forward please.....enough of the drama. What is Lady Waziri still waiting for? She has not stepped down yet? I can't wait to see her face even worse of a situation than Ribadu.....what a woman! And how does Nigeria move forward when you see no redeeming quality and would rather have Lord Lugard's grand-children back on our shores?:(

uzosike  # 7 | 28.11.2008 14:05

Mark my word, Next Nigerian president would be choosen by Nigerian people. Ribadu will be the next president and no ammount of persecution will stop him. All Nigerians in the west must unite to support our own OBAMA. It is time to regain our country and our people.

lumidii  # 8 | 28.11.2008 14:20

=uzosike;294862>Mark my word, Next Nigerian president would be choosen by Nigerian people. Ribadu will be the next president and no ammount of persecution will stop him. All Nigerians in the west must unite to support our own OBAMA. It is time to regain our country and our people. Ehn? Ribadu - our own Obama? Hilarious!

dem  # 9 | 28.11.2008 14:34

A well written and very balanced article. it never occurred to the grandmasters of the plot that Ribadu would, on successful completion of the course, claim legitimately that his promotion was legal because he was appointed to attend the NIPSS course on the basis of his rank in the police. :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: There is something strange in the way the nation rewards hard work. What is happening to Ribadu represents a nation’s twisted sense of justice. It is also a measure of the moral values held by a nation where dishonesty and criminality are revered and rewarded while honesty and moral integrity are chastised. Say it loud. Pls say it real LOUD!

Dewdrops  # 10 | 28.11.2008 14:38

=ComradeX;294861>And how does Nigeria move forward when you see no redeeming quality and would rather have Lord Lugard's grand-children back on our shores?:( Please don't be annoyed.:D This is a new thread......Yes! I prefer Lord Lugard's great-grandchildren....there are faring much better than I am all over the world.....and a whole let less corrupt!:cool: =ula-lisa;294855>Pray tell, who can do a good job of fighting corruption in naija and come out smelling of roses? Nonsense and ingredient:rolleyes: People in the civilized world......like "Deep Throat"!:p Not Al Copone and his gang of "The Untouchables".

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