| Eradicating Corruption: President Obasanjo Versus Corrupt Governors Etc |
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| Tuesday, 31 August 2004 | |
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Eliminating or eradicating corruption should not be conducted in the shadows of secrecy. It is worrisome to learn from the pages of newspapers, that the president and high officials of the Nigerian government may now be in possession of hard evidence connecting some current governors of states in Nigeria with corrupt activities and corrupt enrichment. If this is the case, it is my belief, that the president will be more convincing, by making full and material disclosure of evidence connecting any governor or other Nigerian officials to the crime of corruption. After all, the president has always, insisted instead, that he needed specific information to enable him pursue corrupt persons? When information is supplied by Nigerians at home or abroad or others, who are support of the president’s crusade against corruption, the president must be agile, he must act promptly, he must not be seen or appear to be vacillating or negotiating with corrupt persons, he must fight corruption in every nooks and crannies, every facets of Nigerian life… he must do so without hesitation. The president will lend more credibility to his avowed war on corruption. We have heard speculations of a state governor being arrested in London with millions of dollars/pounds which the governor could not explain as legitimate earnings, we have also heard of governors that are engaged in frequent junkets, overseas birthdays and sundry owambe parties! Speculations or rumors are rife, that the PDP appears to treat all these, as family affairs, because the governors engaged in these criminal and disgraceful misconducts, are of the PDP ruling party! But I trust that the president’s heart is in the right place and that he means well, the president must as a matter of urgency reveal the names of corrupt governors, the errant governors should serve as examples of those who deserved to be sacrificed on the altar of anti corruption crusade and the long overdue house cleaning that our country has been waiting for…we surly need house cleaning! The president must realize that Nigeria’s national interests supercedes individual or political party interests, our national interest are more important, over and above, the internal affairs of PDP or the individual governors that are seemingly being protected or shielded, at the expense the interests of more than 120 million Nigerians! President Obasanjo for the sake of Nigeria and his own legacy, must distance himself from governors and PDP members, who are agents of avarice and greed, it is clearly unedifying, for someone who champions and crusades against corruption, to make exceptions for certain categories of persons, such as the governors in question. Nigerians have questioned the source of wealth of former head of state, Mr. Ibrahim Babangida, some have gone as far as, adding that, Mr. Obasanjo knows of IBB’s corruption and source of wealth, but Mr. Obasanjo has chosen to look the other way, because IBB is his friend and godfather and election sponsor and now, instead of investigating IBB, so that IBB can explain the source of his wealth or defend himself, he is now actually flaunting it, as he is planning to muscle and cajole his way to the presidency in 2007 and unfortunately, Nigerians are not as yet asking or holding IBB to account; Have we suffered some collective amnesia? Is it not inelegant and even sublime, to proclaim an all out war on corruption, while excusing some privileged few, from prosecution, does this not make nonsense of the president’s self-avowed crusade to rid Nigeria of corruption. I still want to believe that Mr. Obasanjo is serious about fighting corruption, but I am very agitated by the continued protections of certain individuals who are neck-deep in corruption. And where is the Mr. Pius Okigbo panel report? All these, are beginning to look like a pattern. The governors of Plateau state and Edo state have been mentioned in many circles, regarding insufficiently explained activities, involving large sums of monies, that most probably belongs to tax payers in their different states, Vanguard newspapers of Nigeria, only this last Saturday, reported, credible suspicions of untoward activities by certain Nigeria governors and other public officials, who are being shielded from prosecution, those involved in these criminal activities are being encouraged to bask in their corrupt activities, as the anti corruption crusaders have unwittingly assured the criminal protection, simply because they are PDP family members? Let us punish our friends, if they are part of the ruination that Nigeria have been going through and continues to bear/endure. President Obasanjo must clear the air, regarding the now rampant speculations about corrupt governors and other public officials, regardless of what political party the corrupt officials belong, the president should or ought to see this as a matter of his own personal integrity, and the sorts of legacy he seeks to bequeaths on Nigerians and Nigeria from now, until the end of his term in 2007. Most Nigerians and I, strongly believe the eradication of corruption, will be worthy achievement and legacy by President Obasanjo, as corruption is the singular bane on the path of Nigeria’s path to progress, development and advancement; President Obasanjo must fight corruption meaningfully, vigorously and with blinders on, he must fight corruption, in PDP, within family and friends and everywhere else… fight corruption, sparing no one, and history will judge President Obasanjo creditably well. If speculations about corruption by governors and other officials are untrue, the president must address the rumors, instead of allowing it to fester and grow and take quantum leaps The president must operate in the open, which the essence of accountability and transparency par excellence. All Nigerians must fight corruption more meaningfully and forcefullyPaul I. Adujie is a Nigerian Lawyer and an Information Technology Professional. He can be reached at Lawcareer@msn.com
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 24 April 2008 ) |
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Posted by Robot| 12.11.2005 14:13