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Please raise your hands if you know the name of the current Chairman
of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences
Commission (ICPC). And a big prize is yours if you can name 1 case that
was successfully prosecuted by that sombre body.
The ICPC is currently led by gentleman Rtd. Justice Emmanuel
Ayoola. Justice Ayoola succeeded Rtd. Justice Mustapha Akanbi who was
the premier Chairman when that agency was inaugurated back in September
2000. On Tuesday 26 August this year while attending the opening of
something called the South West Zonal Conference of the 2008 National
Conference of Anti-Corruption Units in Government Establishments in
Ibadan, Justice Ayoola said that the ICPC is going to go spiritual due
to increasing cases of corruption among public and private officials in
Nigeria. Specifically, he said "Come September 7th, we are going to God
the almighty. We are going spiritual about it.” He added, "If this
could be done, there will be a total transformation when the Holy
Spirit takes over the affairs of every citizen of this country. We are
also going to do this among the Muslim community. If the Muslims
change, Christians change, then who will be corrupted in our nation?
Those are the two major religions in our country. If they begin to act
to their faiths, the Christians believe they have to be honest, Muslims
also believe that they have to be honest, then the war would have been
won."
Justice Ayoola further revealed that come September 7 2008, the ICPC
will declare national days of fasting and prayer to combat the scourge
of corruption in Nigeria. He avowed that after this period of spiritual
intercession, things will not be the same again in the country. Before
you ask; 75 year old Justice Ayoola is a retired Justice of the Supreme
Court.
In saying that the Holy Spirit will take over, clearly implied is
that for Justice Ayoola, water don pass garri. He is saying loudly that
he cannot perform the job in which he now finds himself. A personal
call to be sacked couldn’t be more blatant.
But we know nobody is going to sack Justice Ayoola, so please let
him resign. Yar’Adua can’t find the time, and the establishment is just
too happy with the way he has performed his duties so far. No
indictments. There wasn’t supposed to be any. Obasanjo was actually
pressurised into creating the ICPC and later the Economic and Financial
Crime Commission (EFCC) by Western countries (particularly the USA whom
he just loved to please) due to growing concerns about the funding
network of terrorism. OBJ, being abundantly blessed with itchy fingers
himself, put at the head of these agencies persons he thought would
simply sit around and merely warm-up expansive leather chairs. Ribadu
at the EFCC – to the surprise of those that nominated him, and to OBJ’s
initial discomfiture – turned out to be actually interested in real
work. His zeal was promptly checked, he was starved of funds and was
reined-in until Obasanjo saw in the young man an opportunity to
terrorise his opponents and strong-arm Nigerians.
It would be recalled that Ribadu on his own initiative fully
engaged, and actively sought out the support and partnership with other
well established international crime fighting organisations. But the
Nigerian establishment was never really happy with him. The government
second-guessed him every step of the way; and in the end, he was made
to look rather foolish.
Not so the ICPC. That organisation more or less only really exists
on paper. Justice Akanbi during his own tenure dutifully shined his
leather chair. Throughout his time at the ICPC, he was only known for
praying five times a day and (like Keith Sweat) always stating what he
was going to do. Justice Ayoola has merely perfected this fine art of
declaring in the media what he would do whilst actually doing bugger
all.
We know that Yar’Adua and his crew will not sack anybody who is not
fighting corruption. Did the IG of Police, Mike Okiro not build a
Shopping Complex in less than one year in office? Did Attorney General,
Michael Aondoakaa not build a magnificent mansion in Abuja and relocate
his family to the UK in that same amount of time? Did James Ibori not
travel with the official Nigerian delegation to the recently concluded
Olympics in Beijing? En-hen! So let the Holy Spirit take over the
reigns of fighting corruption.
Since the ageless and delectable Mrs Farida Waziri took charge at
the EFCC, Orji Kalu, Joshua Dariye, Peter Odili and co are back running
things as godfathers. Ibori and Lucky Igbinedion have their
international passports back in their sizeable breast pockets. Saminu
Turaki and Chimaroke Nnamani are back in the hallowed Senate. The
case-file of a livewire pilferer, Mrs Patience Jonathan had been
reported as missing. And the non-delectable Ms Iyabo Obasanjo is back
in the open, wearing excessive makeup and declaring Nigerian Doctors
incompetent folks. So by all means, let the Holy Spirit take over.
But as the Holy Spirit takes over at the ICPC, one of the cases I’ll
suggest it looks into with some urgency is that of one Danjuma Goje,
the current Governor of Gombe State. Goje caused the Gombe State House
of Assembly to pass a bill (in less than 24 hours) in June 2008
granting himself and his deputy Lazarus Yoriyo, and former Governor
Abubakar Hashidu pensions. Goje’s proposal of a pension of N500 million
for governor and N300 million for deputy governor was toned down to
N200 million and N100 million respectively. Goje and Yoriyo, both still
serving their second term had since collected the N300 million pensions
for their first term (2003 – 2007). This wonderful innovation from the
brilliant mind of Goje I’m sure is destined for the Guinness Book of
World Records. But wouldn’t you know it; former Governor Hashidu
claimed he hasn’t received a Kobo.
Ah, Nigeria!
demdem@hotmail.co.uk
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Posted by Robot| 31.08.2008 20:15