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Tag: corrupt

  • Probe my children if corrupt, Buhari tells EFCC

    Probe my children if corrupt, Buhari tells EFCC

    •Says ‘I won’t forgive you if you don’t probe any allegation against them’ 

    The war against corruption may gather more steam soon, going by President Muhammadu Buhari’s latest pronouncement.

    The President has told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies to probe even his own children or members of his family implicated in corrupt practices.

    He said he would not forgive the anti-graft agency if it fails to pobe any allegation of corruption against his children and family members.

    A sketch of Buhari’s tough anti-corruption mindset and plans was contained in a book, “Muhammadu Buhari: The challenges of leadership in Nigeria”, which is authored by Prof. John Paden.

    The book reveals how Buhari inspired the acting Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu as a school boy to develop anti-graft traits.

    It adds: “Buhari’s attitude is to let the chips fall where they may in particular cases, although reform of the judiciary is one of his larger goals.

    “Buhari has often said that if any of his own children were accused of corruption, and the authorities did not investigate, he would never forgive the authorities.”

    It was also learnt that the President has rebuffed pressure to save his allies in the All Progressives Congress(APC) from being probed by anti-graft agencies.

    In spite of their close family ties, it was learnt that President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to save the former National Security Adviser, Mr. Sambo Dasuki because his policy is that there should be no sacred cows in the anti-corruption war.

    It was also revealed for the first time that Buhari does not have any grudge against Dasuki despite the latter’s involvement in the August 1985 coup, which led to the former’s removal as a military head of state.

    “On numerous occasions, Buhari has urged public officials to do their duty without fear or favour. He has also tried to inspire younger generations to regard public service as an honest calling.

    “For example, the current acting head of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu was a schoolboy in Borno when Buhari was military governor in 1975. Buhari gave a talk to a group of boys that included Magu and urged them to do their best.

    “Magu was inspired and became a professional policeman.

    “In 2015, Buhari asked Magu to head the EFCC, a dangerous job if done well. By mid-May 2016, Magu had secured 143 convictions of corrupt officials.”

    Unknown to many, the book has revealed how Buhari resisted pressure to save his allies in APC from being arrested or prosecuted for corruption.

    It also unfolded Buhari’s vision for a set of specialized anti-corruption tribunals to fast-track the war against corruption.

    The book adds: “The EFCC has been functioning since the administration of President Obasanjo, when it was under the direction of Nuhu Ribadu, a policeman and lawyer who initially was effective before political pressures began to intrude.

    “Under President Jonathan, the EFCC was directed by Ibrahim Lamorde and seemed, from the outside, to be functioning well. Inside, however, rumours of corruption among EFCC officials abounded.

    “Under President Buhari, the acting chair of EFCC has been Ibrahim Magu, who seems to have taken his lead from Buhari’s determined fight against corruption.

    “The widespread investigations conducted by the EFCC and the number of referrals to prosecutors have been unprecedented in EFCC’s history.

    “In addition, Buhari discussed his anti-corruption efforts with the Chief Justice of Supreme Court, Mohammed Mahmud, who agreed to establish a set of specialised anti-corruption tribunals.

    “These tribunals would cover both military and civilian cases. Creating such tribunals, however, requires special authorization from the National Assembly, which has been slow in coming.

    “Although a number of senior officials have been tried for corruption prior to the Buhari presidency, the extent of current corruption court cases in Nigeria is unprecedented.

    “That does not mean that every case will lead to a guilty verdict.

    “All of the accused are entitled to their day in court, and are likely to have high-quality legal representation; and there will surely be appeals and possible plea bargains.

    “Cases may drag on for years. But the fact remains: the law is takings its course.

    “Importantly, in none of these cases (apart from certain military procurement scandals that impacted National Assembly) has the prosecution been sponsored or encouraged by President Buhari.

    “He has kept his hands off the judiciary, despite enormous pressure for him to come to the aid of APC allies.

    “The question will arise when criminal cases are concluded as to whether the Nigerian judiciary is up to the task of being even-handed in such high-level cases.”

    On a former National Security Adviser, Mr. Sambo Dasuki it was revealed for the first time that the President has no grudges with the ex-NSA.

    It says: “It is beyond the scope of this study to assess all the backstories of the relationship between Buhari and Dasuki. Suffice to say that the so-called grudge between the two has never really existed.

    “Dasuki is 12 years younger than Buhari, even though Dasuki did participate in the 1985 countercoup.

    “The family of Ibrahim Dasuki and the Buhari extended family have been linked by marriage for more than four decades.

    “In addition, in his inaugural address, Buhari had professed that although “the past is prologue,” he had no time to pursue alleged “enemies”.

    “Rumours were rife that the Dasuki trial would be held behind closed doors, rather than conducted in public.

    “Dasuki insisted on a public trial and protested his innocence. How the judicial system handled such a high-profile case would be a major political test for Buhari.

    “If the focus of the Dasuki case was on procurement corruption within the Jonathan military and political teams, the public exposure of the facts of the case would be in the public interest.

    “But for national security issues that required confidentiality were involved, then a non-public trial might be warranted.

    “The stakes were high for the Buhari administration. Buhari had insisted that legal accountability be left to the courts. He also had insisted that he was not interested in settling scores.

    “Whether the judicial system was capable of handling such cases without fear or favour remained to be seen. The key was to deliver equal treatment under the law, and to be seen by wider public to be doing so.

    “The last thing Buhari wanted was a show trial. His own administration would be on trial over how this matter was handled.”

    The book has however X-rayed the complexities of the ongoing trial of some looters.

     

  • The most corrupt people in Nigeria

    The most corrupt people in Nigeria?

    Men in their 50s – especially the civil servants.

    At that age, men have lost their idealism, the stark reality of the Nigerian state stares them right in the face.  I had often wondered why,and have always felt embarrassed when, in the past, I pass through immigration at Lagos Airport and I’m asked for ‘something’ by the grown men who manned those desks.  But now that I get to spend a lot more time in Nigeria, I know why.

    Men in their 50s begin to think seriously about retirement.  In Nigeria when you retire, you are on your own and everything is in the air.  You live in a state of perpetual uncertainty.  You are never sure if you will get your regular entitlements or whether some civil servant thief will make off with it or stick it in his personal account for a few years to accrue obscene interest as that civil servant (ironically) prepares for his own retirement.

    But before all that, men in their 40s and 50s in Nigeria face awesome challenges.  For all intents and purposes, they are their own local government: They provide their own electricity, their own water, their own security and provide for their own healthcare. Often times they maintain their local roads, they pay heavily for the education of their kids and some relatives, mobile phone charges are astronomical, and girlfriends to married men don’t come cheap at all.

    An average civil servant in one of the big cities, say, Abuja or Lagos, could earn N1,200,000 per year.  Rent alone is about N600,000.  Abuja is particularly bad in that regard.  Please completely discount public or government schools; these died a slow painful death several years ago.  So three kids in private schools might cost N300,000 per term.  There are three terms in a school year.  We haven’t even talked about food, fuel, NEPA, clothes, weekend Gulder, church money, or money for aged parents yet.

    And then nothing happens in Nigeria but marriages and funerals.  These cost a grip as well.  Where is the civil servant going to get the money for all of that?  The Nigerian terrain is very unforgiving and very unsupportive.  Government does not provide any social security support or cushion.  In fact, government through its many agencies constitutes itself into a huge drain on people’s resources.  There are many, many agencies, particularly on the roads, asking for money for one thing or the other.

    In 2014, I was in a company vehicle in Ogun State when I was stopped by some chaps in garish uniform.  They demanded that I produce an “Ogun State Driver’s Badge.”  I thought they were kidding but they weren’t.  I explained that I was only visiting but they advised that I give them a little something or go to their office.  I elected to go to their office.  Their boss was in the same colourful uniform, but he had on cowboy boots and a farmer’s hat.  Long story short; today, I am a proud owner of “Ogun State Driver’s Badge, 2014.” It costs N5,000.  You don’t need me to tell you that I haven’t smelled Ogun State since then.

    But this is what workers go through every day.  On top of that, they see elected politicians and other government officials making off like bandits unchallenged.  Plus, people like mechanics and plumbers are just itching to cheat you.    The strain of simply living shows; frayed nerves and high blood pressure are never too far behind.

    So what does the civil servant or worker do?  They become contract gate keepers.  They’ve set up a system whereby every competitive government bid goes through them.  You don’t get a look-in unless you agree to split the money 70:30 with the worker.  They would even prefer for you not to execute the job so that they can repeat the whole process the following year and ensure that their kids’ school fees are paid.  This is why, despite heavy government investment, some infrastructures remain in perpetual poor state.

    For those workers who are not in a position to influence contracts, they find other ingenious ways to fleece the public to augment their finances.  So the lecturer will deliberately fail his students, whether they passed or not, until the lecturer is settled.  The Police or Custom official continues to harass fellow citizens for money.  They see your non-cooperation as injurious to their existence.  They think you understand but that you are deliberately undermining them and short-changing their family.  This is why some of them often turn ugly.

    And with retirement looming, the worker becomes more desperate, more dogged and more corrupt as he prepares for that great uncertainty.  He has to build a home for himself, buy another car or two, perhaps support graduate kids who don’t have jobs, etc, etc.

    The corruption is insidious and, at the moment, the situation seems intractable.  Paradoxically, this situation has made every worker – particularly civil servants – ‘yes men.’  They are forever eager to parrot and excuse every government misdeed.  They cannot afford to lose their jobs so they become cheerleaders and further abet their own long term struggle.  An unfortunate vicious circle.

    Change will have to come from the top and it will require a lot of determined hard work and visionary, strategic leadership.  But in the meantime, the worker has to cope with the vicissitudes of today and prepare for the uncertainty of tomorrow…

     

    • Egbejumi-David writes from Lagos
  • Buhari using ‘corrupt EFCC to fight corruption’

    Buhari using ‘corrupt EFCC to fight corruption’

    Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari “is using a corrupt Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to stamp out corruption in Nigeria”.

    He insisted that the President must start the corruption fight from his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as his immediate aides.

    “EFCC opinions remain their opinions and if they are so sure of whatever information they have, they should go to court and stop subjecting Nigerians to media trial. No amount of media trial from the same elements that orchestrated my removal in 2006 can erode my popularity among Ekiti people,” the governor said.

    Fayose said any property that might be linked to him or his company was bought legitimately and his properties were duly declared in his assets declaration form.

    He insisted that sources of such funds were not illicit.

    The governor, who spoke through a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said: “As a promising candidate of my party, I cannot stop Nigerians from supporting my election like every other candidate of other political, including President Buhari,” Fayose said.

    He claimed that since the money he got for his election was from legitimate sources and not from the Office of the National Security Adviser

    (ONSA) as being alleged, how the money was spent remained his own business and not that of anyone.

    The governor debunked the allegation by the EFCC that he received bribe from contractors in Ekiti, saying: “If they have anything against me, they should keep their gun powder dry.

    “Because in 2006, when they took me to court, their allegations crumbled like pack of cards because court decisions are founded on facts and law, and not on media trial as being done by the EFCC as tele-guided by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in their desperation to set the people against me, knowing that they are not on ground.”

    He added: “Having failed to buy the conscience of Ekiti House of Assembly members, the APC people have become increasingly afraid of

    1. The agencies of the Federal Government should know that no matter how hard they try, Ekiti electorate will not be deceived by their blackmail and media trial.

    “The EFCC should be told in clear terms that this is 2016 and not 2006 when impeachment notices against governors were signed on the table of EFCC operatives. Those who are tele-guiding the EFCC now should also be reminded that they did more than what they are doing now in 2006, yet I was overwhelmingly voted for by the Ekiti people eight years after the orchestrated impeachment, which the Supreme Court declared illegal.”

    He maintained that he would continue to speak his mind on issues affecting Nigerians and can never be cowed.

    “Nigerians are suffering. States can no longer pay workers salary, a litre of kerosene is now N220,  a bag of rice is now N20,000 and some people will sit in Presidential Villa and expect that all of us should keep silent?  That’s not possible!

    “No amount of media trial by agents of the Buhari-led APC government will make me to stop baring my mind on the cluelessness of the Federal Government,” Fayose vowed.

  • Don’t halt trial of corrupt ex- N/Delta politicians

    SIR: The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, urges the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari not to consider dropping corruption charges against politicians in the Niger Delta currently being prosecuted for stealing humongous sums of money from Niger Deltans and Nigerians.

    As stakeholders working around the dethronement of impunity and corruption in governance, and the enthronement of transparency and good governance in public office, Nigerians are embarrassed and scandalized that governors of the Niger Delta states seek to resolve the brewing tension in the Niger Delta through an outright cancellation of corrupt charges being brought against serving and former public office holders in Nigeria.

    The Niger Delta is home to some of the worst forms of underdevelopment in Nigeria, and this is in spite of the establishment of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, the Ministry of the Niger Delta, MND, Oil and Gas Development Commissions like the EDSOGPADEC, DESOPADEC and etcetera. What makes the case of the Niger Delta really curious is that even though the region gets about 13% as derivation funds as oil producing areas, these accruals have not been seen to positively impact on the well-being and wealth-being of the people of the Niger Delta.

    If indeed the governors are asking the Federal Government to withdraw charges against these politicians from the Niger Delta facing corrupt charges with the EFCC, it therefore means that agitations being made by militants in the region are spurious, fake and do not represent the mood and temperament of the people of the region.

    What this request by the governors of the Niger Delta states translates to as well is that if in the circumstances the Federal Government deigns to succumb to this request by the state governors, it means that all other corruption cases across board will have to be dropped as well. This will sound the death knell to the anti-corruption war in Nigeria.

    Part of what the administration of President Buhari should do to douse the tension in the Niger Delta is to begin a review in the allocation of oil blocks, sustain allocations to the Niger Delta institutions, and initiate genuine measures to strengthen the capacities of the Niger Delta Development Commissions to deliver on their mandates. The government should also rejig its anti-corruption fight to include members of the ruling party who have been fingered through sundry petitions to the EFCC, a move which has the ability to tip the scale of perception in favour of the government of President Buhari.

     

    • Rev David Ugolor,

    ANEEJ, Benin City.

  • Much ado about ‘fantastically corrupt’

    SIR: The recent description of Nigeria as a “fantastically corrupt” nation by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron on Tuesday, has become subject of contemptuous criticism by Nigerians. I don’t know why Nigerians are taking umbrage over the off the cuff statement of the British Prime Minister about Nigeria being fantastically corrupt. I still can’t get my head around the reason why Nigerians are taking such comment too personal on social, print and electronic media? What is wrong with the Prime Minister’s statement? Is Nigeria not fantastically corrupt?

    In as much as the present APC-led government is doing everything practically possible to eradicate corruption which the past permissive ruling party, PDP institutionalized in our democracy, we shouldn’t be fast in condemning the British PM’s comment. This present progressive government was elected on the premise of change; the major reason Nigerians voted out the past ruinous government, not forgetting the President’s perceived sincerity of purpose in the fight against corruption and so far, he has lived up to expectations in the anti-graft war.

    The series of mind-blowing revelations of how billions of dollars were salted away in the Dasukigate scandal and the daily confessions of some persons of interest of the old corrupt political order held by our anti-graft agencies for their complicity in the mindless looting of our economy is enough for nations like Great Britain to refer to us as “fantastically corrupt”.

    It is our effort in combating this ugly monster called corruption that will change other peoples’ perception about us; so far, I think we have not done badly in that regard.

    Whilst the British Prime Minister, David Cameron may need to be educated in the school of decorum, I couldn’t agree more on President Buhari’s remark on the issue, “I would not demand apology from Cameron for describing Nigeria as a fantastically corrupt country, rather, all I demand from Cameron was the return of Nigeria’s stolen assets”.

    I concur!

     

    • Joe Onwukeme,

    unjoeratedjoe@gmail.com

  • ‘It’s wrong to characterise judiciary as corrupt’

    ‘It’s wrong to characterise judiciary as corrupt’

    Prof.  Chidi Anselm  Odinkalu is the immediate past Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). He has just been elected President-General of the Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA). In this interview with Legal Editor JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU he speaks on killings by herdsmen.

    What is your appraisal of the human rights situation?

    I begin by acknowledging that no country has a perfect human rights record, it’s always work in progress. But that said, we have lots of issues on the plate that are worrisome. The situation with violence suggests that government needs to wake up and is not doing enough. That is dangerous because when government loses authority or is perceived by citizens as not caring enough, citizens and communities take laws into their hands and the result is never good. We saw it with the last administration,  I’d wish to say differently but I don’t think things have much improved on that front and it saddens me to say so. From the Zaria massacre to the most recent incidents of massacres in Agatu  in Benue State and Uzo-Uwani in Enugu State to the electoral violence in Rivers State, there is a common denominator: the deafening silence of the Federal Government. That is just not good enough.

    What do you mean by this?

    The courts have recently ordered the release of some people who were held for unconscionably long periods outside the warrant of law. Sheikh El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeena have been detained now for over  four months. They have not been taken to court for any crime known to Nigerian law. These kinds of developments are worrisome. Some of the attacks on the judiciary need to be watched. Judges are far from imperfect. There are indeed some corrupt ones as the records bear out. But we should refrain from making all judges look corrupt and impugning the integrity of the entire system without evidence. That is not the kind of thing government should be involved in. The kind of statement recently put out by the Department of State Security ( DSS)  identifying five victims of mass killing in a location in Abia by their ethnicity and conveniently forgetting to identify the other 50 is very dreadful. I am surprised that the Federal Government has not yet called out the DSS on this. An agency like the DSS should not have been caught up in that kind of thing. I expect it from ethnic merchants and to see the DSS reduced to that bothers me a great deal.

    How will you describe your experience as the NHRC chair?

    Public service is a special privilege. It was a privilege to serve as the Chair of the re-tooled NHRC. I learnt a lot about Nigeria and Nigerians, mostly quite positive. I come away from the experience with nothing, but immense respect for the goodness of the ordinary Nigerian.

    Why was the Unity Schools Old Students Association set up?

    It is the association of all graduates of the Federal Government Colleges, Federal Government Girls Colleges, Kings College and Queens College, Lagos and the FSTCs as well as the Suleja Academy. In all, there are 104 of such schools. The investments that Nigeria made in our education are incredible. We have a duty to make those investments count. These schools may be shells of what they used to be in terms of academic experience on offer, infrastructure, diversity, curriculum, etc. But that is precisely why we should get involved.

    What is your mission there?

    I just told you in effect my mission: we have a duty to construct a more hopeful narrative for our country than the divisive narrative that most politicians are invested in. That more hopeful narrative must be based on enlightenment and investment in human capital through education and skills. So, we are not building USOSA as an Alumni network or club. We are forging it as a movement and advocate for the idea of education for all. Some people have given up on the idea that we can rebuild public education here in Nigeria. I have not and I will not.

    What is the way out of the budget impasse between the Presidency and National Assembly?

    This budgetary process has been a mess to be honest with you. It’s over one year since we elected a new government and nearly one year since it was inaugurated but yet it has not passed a budget. That is not an exemplary record. The executive can’t blame Parliament for that. There was delay in appointing cabinet. Parliament can’t be blamed for that. There was, consequently, delay in sending the budget to Parliament. Then, when the budget was unveiled, the executive began to deny aspects of the budget and accuse and abuse civil servants of having undermined its budget.

    I was surprised that the President flew out of the county to the US and China rather  than signal urgency by staying back home to fix the budget crisis. Government should not operate for this long on a stop-gap spending mandate. I understand the administration wants to change things. But they have no monopoly of virtue or patriotism. If they are going to succeed in changing Nigeria for good, they have to learn to work with other Nigerians.

       Attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen have become the order of the day in different parts of the country, how do we checkmate these?

    I have recently put out a statement on this with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) outlining the things we can and must do. At the top of the list is that government must approach this as an urgent matter involving the intersection of food security, national security, climate change, human survival and criminal justice in Nigeria. So far the way that government has handled this has been far from encouraging or satisfactory. It has even appeared complicit in the killings and crises by keeping quiet. I know that these issues involve pastoralists and sedentary farming communities. But we need investigation to unmask the identities of those involved. Fulanis are not the only pastoralist community in Nigeria and we should not scape goat anyone or community without evidence. Indeed, there are over 16 pastoralist ethnicities in Nigeria. whoever these are, Pastoralists don’t need AAK-47s for pasture. This is why we need the Federal Government to realize the urgency of this matter and reflect this urgency in the way and manner it carries on.

  • SANs won’t shield corrupt colleagues

    The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) has backed the Federal Government’s anti-corruption fight, saying even corrupt lawyers should not be spared.

    It, however, said the anti-graft agencies must ensure that the anti-corruption war is fought within the ambit of law.

    “The Body of SANs condemns all forms of corruption and money laundering by anyone, lawyers inclusive, and wholeheartedly supports appropriate efforts of the government aimed at curbing the menace of corruption through thorough investigation and prosecution of offenders in a fair trial that complies with due process of the law and ensures equal access to justice by the prosecutor and the accused, while guaranteeing the fundamental rights of all persons as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” it said.

    BOSAN, a group comprising all SANs, met at the weekend at the Nigerian Law School in Lagos, in a communiqué jointly signed by Mr. Ebun Sofunde (SAN) and Mr. Seyi Sowemimo (SAN), said it “welcomes the investigation of any lawyer, no matter how highly placed”.

    The group said members have “a duty and a responsibility to hold ourselves to the highest professional and moral standards and are determined to continue to ensure that those standards are maintained.”

    It warned against disobedience of “valid orders of courts of competent jurisdiction” by the government or its agencies, adding that disregarding court orders “is a step towards anarchy, which does not and cannot augur well for a democratic society such as Nigeria.”

    BOSAN expressed concern with the “spate of disparaging remarks and attacks on the Judiciary and judicial officers, often made in a generalised manner and perhaps calculated to intimidate and infuse fear in Judges, who are sworn to dispense justice without fear or favour.”

    “It is the Body’s view that it is unfair to the many honest and hard-working judges in our country to be painted with the same brush as the few who have been found wanting for misconduct or those who bring the office into disrepute and violate their sacred oaths of office,” BOSAN said.

    It also warned lawyers to desist from joining the bandwagon of issuing “generalised statements of a disparaging nature” against judges, describing such conduct as “unprofessional.”

    BOSAN also condemned what it called the “evolving practice of delays and non-payment of judges and judicial workers their salaries and allowances,” stating that this practice “severely undermines” the much cherished independence of the judiciary.

    On the right of accused persons to counsel of their choice, the Senior Advocates said: “The harassment and intimidation of lawyers in any form in the course of their legitimate work is unlawful and counter-productive in a democratic society. Such actions are not only unlawful but antithetical to the rule of law.

    “Nothing is further from the truth that once a lawyer undertakes the defence of an accused person, particularly a professional colleague, then he must be in active support of the alleged crime or be working against the anti-corruption crusade.

    “The Nigerian Constitution, for good reason, presumes a person innocent until proven guilty before a court of competent jurisdiction following a fair hearing, with an opportunity to conduct his defence by a counsel of his choice.”

    BOSAN urged lawyers to continue to represent their clients “to the best of their abilities, within the ambit of the law, and in compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007.”

    It noted that the body “continues to endorse” the core values of professional excellence, integrity, industry, professional ethics, and leadership by example as its overarching principles, adding that it “has taken appropriate measures to ensure that the rank is not brought to disrepute as a whole by the actions of those adjudged of wrong-doing.”

     

  • Majority of Nigerians not corrupt

    SIR: It is evident since inauguration of the present administration that President Muhammadu Buhari and his team are determined to nip in the board the hydra-headed monster called corruption which has eaten deep into the fabrics of our political and economic life as a people and as a nation. One has no choice than to support the APC-led government’s anti-corruption fight if the report of Transparency International, which has over the recent years consistently rated and placed Nigeria among some of the most corrupt nations, is anything to go by.

    However, the perception and misconception which have been created that every Nigerian is criminally minded is unfounded, unnecessary and unfortunate. Every country under the sun has her own share of corruption and corrupt people; it’s just the frequency and level of corruption that makes the difference. This is largely as a result of the fact that some of the developed nations have put in place strong and independent institutions to prevent and minimize the level of corruption.

    Corruption may have increased in both quantity and intensity with devastating consequence on human development and standard of living of the citizenry; however, the percentage of corrupt minded Nigerians still remains insignificant compared to the millions who set out daily to do their legitimate and lawful businesses. Just like the popular saying “one bad egg spoils the rest “when a person picks an egg from a basket of eggs and the one turned out to be spoilt is it right to assume that all the eggs are spoilt? Some of our corrupt leaders and a very insignificant few Nigerians who engages in one form of criminal activity or the other are continually destroying the image of the entire country.

    The fact that we Nigerians commit ourselves to the things we do and exhibit the highest sense of duty and professionalism in our chosen career, putting our soul, time and energy has translated in the huge success that Nollywood has recorded in just a little above two decades of its existence. Today, Nollywood isn’t just the second largest film industry in the world and of course the largest in Africa, Nigerian films have become the beautiful bride and is in high demand throughout Africa and beyond due to the Nigerian attitude of industry, dedication and the will to be the best.

    The Nigerian music industry didn’t capture Africa and the world scene by mistake, but it was a result of hard work, brilliance, dedication and agility of our musicians, entertainers and music producers who work tirelessly round the clock to earn a living and give the world what good music is all about. In medicine, Sciences, Law, Engineering, Poetry, Arts and Culture Nigerians are doing twice as good as their international counterparts and this exploits is being recognized across the globe. The likes of Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Jelani Aliyu, Chimamanda Adichie and a host of others have become a source of pride not only to Nigeria and Nigerians but to the entire African continent.

    The guts and strong conviction to stand against whatever we perceive to be wrong for us and agitate for what is right in defence of our fundamental human rights and the boldness to change the leaders through the ballot in demand for better living conditions was exemplified at the last general election when Nigerians defied religious sentiments, ethnicity, tribal differences and political propaganda to elect new sets of leaders. We shamed the prophets of doom at the last general election by conducting one of the most peaceful elections and change of government from one political party to the other when the whole world looked forward to an outbreak of war and a ‘river of blood’.

    It would do us all a lot of good of the present administration also focus on uplifting the economic condition of non corrupt and hardworking Nigerians.

    • Hussain Obaro,

    Ilorin, Kwara State.

  • Discos’ corrupt and fraudulent bills

    SIR: Recently, it was in the news that Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), Minister for Power, Works and Housing has approved increases in tariff charges on electricity unit by the respective distribution companies (Discos) ranging from 45% to over 65% without considering its impact on inflation bedeviling the economy and fairness and equity on the consumers. There is no gainsaying the fact that the discos have been abusing and exploiting Nigerians and the system to milk Nigerians dry with shameless impunity. Nigerians have the capacity to vehemently demand that this over-estimation stop now and should so demand. When the Nigerian exploiters with their foreign collaborators acquired our collective assets in the power sector at prices that were ridiculously less than 10 percent of their value, little did patriotic Nigerians know that the greed of the very few would be a dirty source of pain to fellow Nigerians and responsible organizations.

    It is trite that building power infrastructure is long term and capital intensive and usually yields long term return. It takes above an average of five years to begin to earn revenue. But in the case of these discos, they started earning revenue right from the first day of acquisition of our collective power assets. Even the disputed estimated bills of PHCN were carried over and debited to consumers even when the discos claimed they did not acquire PHCN liabilities but only infrastructural assets.

    There are three categories of the discos’ customers. The first are those with pre-paid meters. The second are those with analogue meters and the third category are those the discos refused to meter and are corruptly, fraudulently and criminally served monthly with over estimated bills usually over 12 times in most cases their actual electricity consumption. Take my case for example: I consume less than 40 units of electricity per month but Ikeja Electric serves me with a fraudulently over-estimated bill of average 480 units as monthly bill. So I am compelled to pay for what I consume for 13 months as my one month bill. For one year, I have paid for 13 years in advance! The same is true for almost every customer of the discos on what they call estimated customers.  All of these unfortunate electricity consumers have paid in advance for between five to 13 years every year since the discos were sold out in November 2013. This of course is the dirty height of corruption and corporate stealing.

    From the above, you will discover that the argument by the Minister that the discos are not making profit is a lie and grand conspiracy to continue to defraud the category of unmetered electricity consumers. The discos have not invested on any visible infrastructure in my area within Mowo Kekere/ Ijede Road axis of Ikorodu in Lagos State and as a result only one transformer still serves over 600 houses that have resulted in very erratic power supply and very  low voltage that have damaged our domestic equipment. I know the same scenario is true in most areas too.

    To justly resolve this issue of fraudulently over-estimated billing system that is very corrupt by any assessment, the Minister and Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) will be doing the right thing to immediately direct the discos to stop the estimated billing of electricity consumers that the discos refused to allocate meters and also to cancel the bloated amount on their respective bills effective February 1, 2016 by not further issuing bills to this category of consumers until they are metered since they have all paid bills in advance of between five and 13 years every other year. This is the only solution to the terrible corporate stealing that is being forced down the throat of the average electricity consumer in this country by the discos.

     

    • John Egiaruoyi,

    Ikorodu-Lagos.

  • ‘No hiding place for corrupt leaders’

    The Vicar-in-charge of Saint Andrew’s Anglican Church, Oke Ila, Ado Ekiti, Ven. Olu Ibitoye, has warned leaders to refrain from their evil acts, particularly corruption.

    Reverend Ibitoye said the wrath of God will soon visit those perpetrating grafts and immersing Nigerian in crisis and unwarranted sufferings, if they refuse to repent of their sins.

    The cleric spoke in Ado Ekiti during the burial of Madam Adenike Kayode, who died in November last year . She was 65.

    At the funeral were: the Secretary to the State government, Dr. Modupe Alade, a business mogul and Chairman, Prosperous Hotel and Resort Centre Mr. Abiodun Isinkaye, Foluso Adesokan, Chief Mrs. Remi Fadipe Anisulowo, Former Board Director Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) Mr. Toyin Adebayo and Former Chairman Irepodun Ifelodun Local Government Area, Igede-Ekiti Pastor Olowoyo, Pastor Segun Aduloju, among others.

    The cleric added that any leader who makes his people suffer would not go unpunished.

    “No leader in the bible punished his people and went unpunished, and Nigeria’s case will not be different. We have seen leaders who looted the country suffering from one illness or the other.

    “This is just a tip of the iceberg; the full blown wrath of God will soon visit them and there will be no hiding place,” he said.