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Nigeria @ 61: Erubami wants concerted efforts against corruption

 

By Razaq Bamidele

A frontline pro-democracy and human right activist, Comrade Moshood Erubami has urged all hands to be on deck against corruption in Nigeria, saying, only the concerted efforts of all and sundry could defeat the cankerworm that has eaten deep into the societal fabric.

Erubami, who is the President and Convener of the Nigerian Voters Assembly (VOTAS), in his organization’s independence anniversary message to the nation blamed the deepening corruption on the indeffference of the Judiciary for the sad development appealing to all Nigerians to rise up en masse against the monster.

The Nigeria Voters Assembly, according to him, miffed by the little success that the current war against corruption is achieving, condemning the obvious indifference of the Judiciary to the war against corruption in the country.

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The concerned activist stated that serious attention needs to be paid to the lingering crisis of corruption in the country, to ensure that lack of concern does not kill the country and sentences her citizens into the everlasting penury of material well-being.

The statement, specifically drew special attention to the lack of synergy between the governments, Judiciary, Legislators and the Citizenry in the governance of the Country which it adduced as the main factors responsible for the intractable drives to halt the impunity of corruption in the country.

The statement read further thus: “By necessary implications, the President and his Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), are being blamed for not achieving much in their avowed declaration to fight corruption to its knees, forgetting that the fight against corruption in Nigeria is a gangatum war against the many forces of politicians in and out of the country who relish in corrupt and unethical practices which have drowned the country in the sea of impunity.

“Most shockingly, the President’s good intention to fight corruption impunity out of Nigeria, had been undermined by the unmitigated fight backs and slow pace at which the anti-corruption war was being waged leaving him alone in the fight, as the war that should lead to victory is not being collectively waged with his party, appropriate institutions and the critical sectors of the society which had obviously overwhelmed him.

“Obviously, the fight against corruption impunity cannot be waged by the President or the Government of the APC alone, it must be a collective crusade that Lawyers and Judges should be faithfully involved to sway those who believe they have authority to fight and continue to torture Nigerians through corruption fight-backs.”

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The Voters Assembly boss is of the conviction that, “this is the right time that Nigeria needs to introduce strong leadership more than ever before, because the country is on the verge of financial and total economic collapse, hence it requires the strong character of the president, the collective supports of the Lawyers, Judiciary and the People to renew the serious fight against corruption especially, when the judiciary is least expected, to be found culpable in their own domain joining hands in the acts of growing unethical practices found in other sectors of the economy and becoming the strongest goalkeepers for exposed corrupt politicians and Civil Servants in the country!”

The VOTAS described as most painful, that series of corruption cases put before some of the Courts were not judicially and judiciously considered, but trivialized while providing escape routes for those being put forward for prosecution and making securing convictions difficult however hard the anti-corruption agencies tried, due mainly to the enormous institutional impediments to desirable efforts from the anti-corruption institutions.

“For decades under the civilian administrations, the courts had operated under this circumstance and have in effect become strong guardians for exposed corrupts erecting stumbling blocks to fair judgement against the big fishes who are known to be corrupt while allowing the corrupt politicians to unduly benefit from the usage of technicalities of law and undue advantage of very long adjournments from skilled defence lawyers to set the stages for their acquittals!

“Regrettably, most of these Judges are monetarily pacified by their friend Prosecutors and lawyers to deliver judgement not on the basis of the law but on the basis of friendship predetermined by corrupt affiliation,” the organisation lamented.

What is more, according to the group, Nigeria’s international partners are playing less helpful roles in not showing commitment to assist the country’s war on corruption because most money stolen from Nigeria are stocked in their Banks but made the processes of accessing the funds most difficult.

“So, for Nigeria to benefit from the advantages of age, at 61, the National Assembly should rejig its law making processes, wake up from its dreamless slumber, to interrogate its serious oversight functions that are corruption-free.

“The judicial Activist Judges should rise to see corruption as being at the heart of many of Nigeria’s most serious human underdevelopment to reconsider cases of corruption before them and treat them diligently to find solution to corruption issues which underdeveloped the masses and infringed on the rights of the citizens,” the statement suggested.

Imperatively, the statement continues, President Buhari should follow up on the bills sent to the ninth Assembly on corruption i.e, the creation of special courts for anti-corruption cases and call for their speedy treatment to handle the deluge of corruption cases pending in the courts, some deliberately being delayed to allow for the passage of time and let some big fishes currently exposed and those who know they might be culpable of the acts of corruption to be left off the hook.

The group further suggested that the president should cultivate the judiciary openly and honestly as a strong fighter who is bent on breaking the old order of corruption impunity with the commitment to step on the toes of their fantastically corrupt politicians and Civil Servants, including crutching the legs that carried the toes!

Concluding, the VOTAS finally appealed to Nigeria’s other anti-corruption bodies, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), to rise from their levels of ineffectiveness and in eventuality, and strive to complement the efforts of the EFCC and together build the response of the judiciary to assist their responsibilities.

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