Obasanjo Ups the Ante Against Corruption

EFCC now to monitor spending from Federation Account
From Josephine Lohor in Abuja, THISDAY August 8,2005

The war against corruption assumed a higher dimension yesterday  following an instruction by President Olusegun Obasanjo to the Economic and Financial Crimes Com-mission (EFFC) to attend the monthly Federation Acco-unts Allocation Committee meetings to monitor and trail the movement and utilisation of allocated funds.
The President, while handing down the charge, said the war against corruption would be total as it would involve checking both Nigerians in Government and outside of it, regardless of the constitutional immunity clause for certain categories of public officers.
 The President, who made the declaration during his address at the First executive Session of the Economic and Financial Crimes Comm-ission (EFCC), said “there will be no sacred cows." He also said: " Nobody, no matter who and where, will be allowed to get away with the breach of the law or the perpetration of corruption and evil. Under the administration therefore, all the rules and regulations designed to help honesty and transparency in dealings with government will be restored and enforced.”
To achieve this and enhance the effective operations of the commission, Obasanjo  warned that ‘leaders at all levels of our Government must realize that the era where their stewardship after office was consigned to history books is no longer the case." because as he puts it " Stewardship after office will henceforth be examined and re-examined with a microscope to determine whether it met all the good principles of good governance including transparency and accountability. So, immunity or no immunity, leaders will be constantly under the microscope inside and outside public office”.
President Obasanjo also lamented the state of societal values noting that ‘today, even in the most remote village in Nigeria, questions about the undeserved or sudden wealth of some people are never raised. An unemployed youth of yesterday, goes to the city, and reappears in two years with a fleet of cars, puts up a mansion, and throws cash around the village recklessly. He is simply celebrated, made a chief, and he becomes the political or financial leader of the community”.
He also called on those in leadership positions to realise that history will never remove the search light on their conduct.
He added: "The reliance on immunity, bureaucratic complexity, and other such escape routes will no longer be an option. The people, ultimately, will know the truth and ask why their conditions of living remained stagnant or deteriorated in spite of available financial and other resources. The judgement of such angry, alienated and frustrated populace can be devastating. A word is often enough for the foolish, not to talk of the educated of the so-called wise”.
Although Obasanjo acknowledged the fact that the fight against corruption has not  reached the point were Government wants it to  reach, he wondered why  “some people talk of a "tolerable" level of corruption. "There can be no "tolerable" or "manageable" level of corruption. Once we make excuses, we directly and indirectly encourage corruption. We should aim at a zero-tolerance level on corruption. After all, what exactly is "tolerable"? 10%, 20%, 90% acceptance level? Even one per cent should not be tolerated in any society.", he queried.
It would be recalled that Obasanjo has been very tough on government officials accused of corruption or found to have engaged in corruption. Among those that have been axed by the President on allegations of corruption include former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, Former  Inspector General of Police, Mr Tafa Balogun, Former Education minister, Prof Fabian Osuji. Wabara and Osuji were accused of involvement in a 55 million naira  budget bribe scandal which swept them from office. Balogun on his part, is currently standing trial for alleged corrupt enrichment. Others who have also been removed from office by Obasanjo include former Housing Minister, Mobolaji Osomo who was relieved of her position for alleged involvement in controversial sale of government houses.
While advising that it was now the responsibility of every Nigerian “to protect their present and future by fighting corruption and insisting on transparency, accountability, and moral probity as they look forward to selecting or electing future leaders,” the President noted that “the misdeeds of past leaders and government took corruption into the family units and even into places of worship. Criminals are known to receive great favour from religious leaders.
“Even a clerk who donates a N10m organ or builds part of a place of worship or pays for the first class tickets of a religious leader and his family plus vacation cost abroad is never questioned. Rather, such a crook receives prayers and praise from the religious leader but of course not the blessing from God who knows all things. Parents often display the product of their criminal activities even when their children know what they earn and the investments they have. It is indeed very sad.”
The President also advised public office holders who he described as “ torch bearers” to “lead by example. Your conduct and character in private and public must reflect that spirit of your total and undiluted opposition to corruption and any criminal conduct. No Government can ever survive or deliver viable services to the people no matter how good its intentions are if corruption exists in its ranks as well as in its public service on which it depends to provide the efficient and effective administrative machinery to translate its policies into action. Again, the moment key leaders are less than incorruptible and less than stern in demanding high standards, structure of administrative integrity will become weak, compromised.”
“This must be a collective battle, no stone should be left unturned, no one should be spared, and no excuse should be tolerated. History and posterity will record our respective roles and pass judgment on our efforts, but for now, the fight against corruption is an on-going task that must be sustained and completed,” he added.
While urging  “researchers and analysts to stop cataloguing the cases of corruption but also focus seriously on documenting and analysing the high social, political and economic cost of corruption to enable the public know the dangers of corruption”, the President disclosed that “Government is already committed to a very vigorous, continuous, and systematic reform of the "toll gate" institutions that appear to have been bastions of corruption largely because of the huge revenues that they generate. These include the National Provident Fund, the Customs Service, Ports Authority, Central Bank, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Maritime Authority, National Aviation Management Authority, Immigration Service, and other revenue generating parastatals and agencies”.
He added that “there is now an urgent need to reform the administration of justice to ensure quick and timely adjudication of cases particularly those pertaining to corruption and other economic crimes. A time limit must be set for the conclusion of such cases, else, criminals will take advantage of the weaknesses in the system to prevent or avoid prosecution. For effectiveness, sanction must be related to crime in time and in severity. Justice delayed is justice denied and it encourages perpetration of crimes. I must say here that the Chief Justice of the Federation is looking into the fast-tracking of some type of cases to enhance the administration of justice”.
The President added that “those who are still in doubt of government resolve to fight corruption should therefore have a rethink. We are not joking about our war on corruption and let me repeat, no one is sacred. In addition, no one will be excused on the ground of ignorance just as our fight is not limited to corruption involving money. Influence peddling, manipulation of laid down rules, intimidation of public officials, leaking of official secrets, abuse of office in any form, undermining public policy to satisfy narrow interests, disloyalty to the nation, and other acts meant to deviate from due process and what is fair and just will be treated with the same severity”.
President Obasanjo  said “it is a pity that we are not getting the same level of enthusiasm, dedication, focus and commitment from the States and Local Governments. EFCC must see it as a challenge to cover the local and state levels. However, all allegations must, as usually being done now, continue to be thoroughly investigated but not necessarily given publicity until such investigations have been progressed to the level of collation of incontrovertible evidence”.
He also stated that “Corruption in Nigeria has led to a dampening of patriotism as people lose hope in the nation and believe that they can never get justice without money or nepotism; abuse of the electoral process as the struggle for power is tied to the reckless spending of money in preparation for the cornering or privatisation of public funds; and the abuse of the rule of law and access to justice as even the judiciary, what should be the last hope of the ordinary citizen has become corrupted, at least, to some extent. Corruption has weakened the public security system especially the police that came to be known for its pathological fixation on collection of bribes and illegal tolls and levies.”
“The private sector has not been left out. In fact, in many instances, the private sector until very recently was the main culprit because in the struggle for contracts, it corrupts public officials. They bring in contrabands and bribe the Customs to bring the banned goods into the country. They manipulate rules and regulations to win an edge over the system in the pursuit of their selfish objectives. They will not pay taxes, electricity bills or telephone bills but try to manipulate and corrupt the officials to pay reduced costs or nothing at all. The tales are many and there is no way in which our private sector, a large part of it, can claim innocence from our present predicaments. Abroad, they hardly speak positively for the nation and their irregular escapades abroad have only added to the negative profile of Nigeria”, he added.
“One of the outcomes of the National Political Reform Conference as well as on-going reforms within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (POP) and the Local Government Reform is to ensure that it is no longer going to be "politics as usual" Henceforth, Nigerians can look forward to a system that values integrity, quality, exposure, service, reasonable education, track-record, passionate belief in Nigeria and identification with the causes of the people, and other values that the people may establish. Nigerians must rise up against influence peddling, so-called god-fatherism, and the commercialization of politics.”
He also  appealed  to the developed nations “to return stolen funds that are stashed in their bank vaults. Aside from the immorality involved in holding on to funds that have been proven as looted from poor nations, such actions encourage corruption in developing countries.”
The Chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, in his opening speech, said "Nigeria is a prime example of what can happen -when leaders finally say 'enough' to rampant corruption. I therefore salute Nigerian President Obasanjo's Zero Tolerance' Initiative".
While thanking President Obasanjo for his unflinching support, Ribadu said the President’s “commitment at creating a new economic and social order in this country is without any iota of doubt and has been so acknowledged internationally”.
He added that “We assure you that through the EFCC, the menace of corruption will be battled to its knees. Let the unwary beware and those who are still in doubt about our determination in eradicating corruption have a rethink for there is no alternative to good governance and the Rule of Law”.
The Co-founder and Chairman of Transparency International, TI, Prof Peter Eigen, in his contribution, said “It is true that Nigeria has a perception problem worldwide and this is what we measure even though the international reputation of Nigeria is better than the reputation Nigeria has within its own society. If you read articles in The Financial Times, The Economist, The New York Times, you see that there are concrete measures which have been taken by the Dream Team of this government”.
In his own contribution, the Secretary-General of INTERPOL, Roland Noble, said that President Obasanjo’s mark has already been made in the international community although the corruption index has not yet caught up with reality, adding that “Nigeria is a great country but the poison of corruption has tainted that reputation.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammed Lawal Uwais, also observed that “There is need for some form of constitutional amendments so as to make the work of the courts much more fruitful and the quest for corrupt-free environment realised.
In this regard, it is imperative to have a rethink on the constitutional protection given to executive office holders from criminal prosecution.”