At last President Obama has spoken and has given reasons why he is visiting Republic of Ghana. While speaking to galaxy of pressmen at the G-8 summit in Italy, he said Ghana is the only country serious about fighting corruption in Africa. Those who have ears let them hear.. Lucky enough for Nigeria Mr Yar’adua was in the audience too. Talking about fighting corruption in Nigeria I saw a list in the Nigerian Tribune of Friday July 10, 2009 of corrupt Nigerians as released by EFCC who stole from the national wealth the sum of N243 billion. That is a colossal sum by all standards. Well done EFCC. Curiously however I did not see the name of James Ibori on that list. Neither did I see the names of Ahmed Sani ‘Yariman Bakura’, Peter Odili, Ibrahim Shekarau, Adamu Aliero, Sam Egwu, Chimaroke Nnamani and probably Lucky Igbinedion amongst other names I can recall now. Even as I am writing this article, the corruption scandal rocking the House of Representatives has N1.8 billion and N400 million misappropriations hanging on the neck of Dimeji Bankole yet his name is not on that list. I don’t know whether it is a case of selective fight against corruption or is that list the first batch while the second and subsequent batches will be released later? By the way I hope Michael Aandookaa will find time to listen to the Obama press conference in Italy, because he was quoted at one time as saying that the Yar’adua regime is fighting corruption seriously.
If Farida Waziri’s EFCC is not playing to the gallery, can she justify why James Ibori’s name is not on the looters list? Even the Financial times of London carried a news item last year which reported that a former governor of the troubled Niger-delta of Nigeria by the name James Ibori is wanted by the Metropolitan police for money laundering, and that his mistress is currently being tried at the Old Bailey here in London. It was reported then that James Ibori stolen N91 billion from the Delta state government and stashed looted funds away in South Africa and even Brazil. If I can remember very well, he was being tried in one of the courts in Kaduna shortly before the anti-corruption czar Nuhu Ribadu was unfairly chased out of the Nigeria Police. How come his name is not on Farida’s EFCC list of corrupt persons?
Ahmed Sani was said to have built an N800 million Naira mansion in Zamfara but he is not on EFCC list of corrupt persons.
In 2004, the allegations were all over the paper that Ibrahim Shekarau was caught with four million US Dollars, one million Euros and some millions of Naira in various account in Thailand, Saudi Arabia and back in Nigeria, are those amount not enough for his name to appear on corrupt persons list Mrs Waziri?
Time will not allow to write on Chimaroke NNamani the bano Governor of Enugu state or Pete Odili and the famous and notorious Adamu Aliero who milked Kebbi state dry to its bone marrow. Of course not forgetting Dr Sam Egwu who unfortunately is a minister in the Yar’adua illegal government.
All the above former governors were amongst the 31 that were on the EFCC list handed over to Farida Waziri by Nuhu Ribadu, how come their names have been removed from the most corrupt persons list over night?
What of those who stole $12.4 billion Dollars? Are such amounts not substantial enough to warrant their names appearing on the EFCC list of corrupt person?
Farida Waziri and Umoru Yar’adua are just trivializing this war against corruption. Big time thieves like Ibori, Sam Egwu, Adamu Aliero, and Ibrahim Shekarau are untouchable from EFCC point. These are people whole stole billions while petty thieves whole few millions are harassed.
Thank God President Obama said it all; it is only Ghana that is serious about fighting corruption in Africa. Jerry Rawlings must be proud of himself by now. At least Ghana is working. When will Nigerian’s own Jerry Rawlings come? Gideon Orkar was to be, but he made some silly mistakes. We will patiently and eagerly wait for the coming of Jerry Rawlings of Nigeria. I can see some politicians and some former military leaders catching geese flesh and swine flu already. Fear not if you don’t have any skeleton in your cupboard.
Farida Waziri please let us know what happened to the files of the above mentioned person at your EFCC office.
Nigerian leaders should know by now if they have not known yet that the world is a global village where everybody knows everything at the push of a button
How can people who have criminal cases overseas be termed saints in Nigeria? Unfortunately for the Nigerian thieves they steal this money and bring it to Europe and South Africa. By European laws, all European countries share information about huge money deposits because of terrorism and stuff. Nigerian looters, there is no hiding place for you even if EFCC classifies you as saints in Nigeria.
Woe betides a country where thieves and looters are at the helm of affairs and have been running the affairs of such country for over 20 years.
ndiameeh Babrik
[email protected]
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