A senior advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, says the war against corruption by President Muhammadu Buhari will only bear fruits when his administration leads with the example of prosecuting corrupt members of the ruling party already due for prosecution.
The government, Falana said, has expressed interest in ridding the country of graft but has largely failed to walk its talk.
“There are many members of the APC who should stand trial but the government is under pressure not to prosecute them. It is only when the Nigerian people are involved that we can insist that all those who have looted our funds must be prosecuted, Falana said, speaking at a corruption dialogue convened by ActionAid Nigeria, Centre for Communication and Social Impact and UKaid from the British People in Kano.
The goal of the fight will be ultimately realised when the government makes wealth creation its pillar focus and guarantees welfare programmes under right to minimum wage and right to education, he said.
The Up-Right-for-Nigeria campaign themed “Enhancing Citizen’s Effective Participation in the Fight against Corruption” touched on the need for states and Attorney Generals to back the fight because there are limits to which anti-graft commissions can go.
They are controlled by the FG, underfunded and sometimes directed by the government on who to investigate or not. One of the limitations is that in investigating offences such as stealing, fraud or forgery, common at state level, the EFCC has to seek the permission of Attorney Generals’ before prosecution.
On the part of the Ene Obi, ActionAid Nigeria Country Director, corruption distorts competition and trade, reduces investments and slows development. It widens economic and social inequalities, heightens injustice, discontent, exclusion and polarisation.
The social cost of corruption, Obi explained, is directly and indirectly linked to ruins in the country’s educational system, healthcare facilities, inequality gap, worsened level of insecurity and conflicts, pushed back foreign investment opportunities and government’s failure at basic amenities provisions.
“We have seen the reality of poverty at the different levels including rural and urban communities. And we are without any doubt that corruption being one of the major causes of these deprivations, when dealt with decisively will liberate many Nigerians from the strongholds of poverty,” Obi said.
Urging citizens to be dogged and determined to ask the right questions, she charged political leaders and institutions also to be answerable to the people for collective fight against the common enemy called corruption.
