The pioneer chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Justice Mustapha Akanbi (retd) and the Chairman, Anti-Corruption Commission, Nigerian Bar Association, Malam Yusuf Ali (SAN), have accused the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration of treating corruption with kid gloves.
The duo decried the increasing rate of corruption in the country, saying nothing tangible and substantial was being done to reverse the ugly trend.
They spoke in interviews with journalists on the sidelines of the public lecture on “Corruption – the bane of our society”, organised by the Amicus International Club in Ilorin, the Kwara State captal, on Tuesday.
Akanbi, who is a retired President of the Court of Appeal, said corruption, kidnapping and other societal vices were on the increase in the country and that government institutions and the judiciary were not helping in curbing corruption.
Akanbi said, “Honestly, I do not see what is being done about corruption now. I ask myself these questions: Does it mean that all the governors are corruption-free? Does it mean all the legislators are corruption-free? Does it mean the judiciary is corruption free? We know that it is happening but people are not being arrested, no action is being taken and the end result is that people accept bribe with impunity now.
“At least, if they had taken few people to court, we would have known that something is being done. There is a general lull and the fight against corruption has gone down completely.
“Now, when you look at many people wanting to be governors, is it because they want to serve their people or that they want to go and chop? It is apparent that many of them want to enrich themselves because they know that when you go there you make money and become wealthy, ditto going to the legislature. Yet people are suffering; there is no development. Corruption, kidnapping and other ills of the society have gone on the ascendency.
“Honestly, in case of the governors, who have been arrested? We know about Oduahgate and the billions of naira that Sanusi alleged was missing. The terrible thing is that the judiciary is not helping.
“The indices are that the moments are dark, the clouds have thickened, corruption is escalating”.
In the same vein, Ali said that Jonathan’s administration was not fighting corruption at all and urged Nigerians to know that corruption makes all the citizens poorer in the short and long run.
He said, “I have said this long time ago, there is no drive against corruption by the current government and that is quite obvious because the President believes that there is no corruption in Nigeria. He believes that what is going on is petty stealing.
“So, if he doesn’t believe there is corruption, you can’t hold him for not driving any anti-corruption war. If somebody doesn’t believe there is a problem then he would not be obliged to look for solution”.
From the mouths of the elders wisdom flows. We’ve heard this again and again! Nigeria is rated the most corrupt country in the world. Where there is widespread of corruption, there is usually no progress. Progress is an illusion! Any government claiming that there is progress, achievements, and condoning corruption is deceiving the masses.